Malta's oldest, largest and arguably its most prized and strategic workplace: 'the Dockyard' - in Maltese, it-Tarzna, from the Arabic 'Dar is-Sengha', or Site of Skill. For a while, a quarter of the entire working (mainly male) population earned its living at the Dockyard. Malta's transition to constitutional self-government and the advancement of trade unionism and workers' rights are heavily due to the dogged militancy of Dockyard workers.
The huge political, social and economic legacy of 'the Dockyard' was the theme of a seminar organised by the Melita Training and Resource Management (MTRM) of the General Workers' Union, with the participation of former Dockyard apprentice and worker and GWU official Michael Parnis and UM sociologist , who spent the first 15 years of his career involved with training and research at the Dockyard.
The seminar, held on Sunday morning 26 May, drew a substantial and mixed audience, including ex-Dockyard workers who reminesced about particular work episodes from their past.
The event - aptly held at the Malta Maritime Museum, with credit to Heritage Malta - was chaired by Lewis Spiteri (MTRM), who was for many years Deputy Chairman of the elected Dockyard Council during the period of worker self-management (which lasted from 1975 to 1997).
Photos are credited to the Digitisation Unit of Heritage Malta.
