Chief Minister: the left 'must unite' in the face of threat from the right

Fabian Picardo says the left must avoid infighting and unite against the potential rise of right-wing politics.

The Chief Minister referenced ongoing tensions between Unite the Union and the GGCA – the two biggest unions on the Rock – as he highlighted the importance of protecting workers’ rights; an issue which could, he said, be a matter of life and death.

He was speaking at a Workers’ Memorial Day event, an international day of remembrance for workers killed or injured at work.

Mr Picardo also denounced the GSD as conservatives in disguise as he warned that those on the right seek only to exploit workers in order to profit from their labour.

GBC has reached out to both Unite and the GGCA for comment.

The Chief Minister also acknowledged the death from natural causes of a Spanish worker in Gibraltar last month.  While not caused by an accident, the event did raise numerous issues relating to the transit of his body. 

Due to current Schengen controls it was impossible to transport the man directly from Gibraltar to La Linea after he died, and it was instead necessary to transport the body to London by air, then to Malaga, and finally down to La Linea at a cost of close to £5,000 to his family, as reported by Spanish media.

This incident was highlighted by La Linea Mayor, Juan Franco, in a recent interview with GBC.  The government says it expects this problem to be resolved by the implementation of the treaty which would avoid similar situations in future.