Unite has defended the right of protestors to gather outside Parliament. The union adds that it will always be “fully supportive” of any protest that highlights the principle of trade union consultation.

This comes following yesterday’s walkout of GGCA members at the Government’s IT department.

A spokesperson said: “As 2019 marks the 100 year anniversary of when the Workers Union sent a delegation to the UK to campaign for the right to vote in Gibraltar resulting in our first ever City Council election of 1921. Unite finds it ironic that the Speaker of the House, Mr Adolfo Canepa, lashes out at a trade union movement for demonstrating outside the House of Parliament. Highlighting the “ruling” of Sir Robert Peliza which limits Trade Unions ability to protest outside this institution.

“As we said at the time when Sir Robert Peliza passed the “ruling” we once again repeat, Unite believes this to be an affront to civil rights and as such we are totally opposed to such restrictions on unions, NGO’s or individual protestors outside parliament, more particularly so when this policy is implemented under a Socialist government.

“The Speaker and all parliamentarians should never forget that they are appointed to serve the community and that the images of the demonstration as seen in GBC and the Gibraltar Chronicle in no way unduly restrict the access into Parliament for the speaker or any of the MP’s.

The union says that Adolfo Canepa, as the Leader of the AACR post-Hassan era, "wanted to introduce anti-trade union legislation" and that it will "never passively accept any curtailing of our ability to protest in order to safeguard workers’ rights or any erosion to current trade union legislation in Gibraltar.”

Pic: Trade union leaders (Joe Bossano and Jose Netto) protesting outside of parliament. Unite says they did so “with no restrictions on their ability to demonstrate.”

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