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European Commission urged to rule if Spanish pensions deal is legal or not
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Four motions were passed unanimously at the Annual General Meeting of the GSLP. These motions are now party policy and a future GSLP Government is bound to give effect to them, said the party.
The meeting also re-elected Joe Bossano as Leader of the Party by a show of hands and a standing ovation.
Five members were elected to the Executive Committee, four of which have been members for some years. These are, Andrew Camilleri, Derek Desoisa, Rodney Pereira and Orland Yeats. The new face joining the Executive is Paul Balban.
Guest Speaker, Glyn Ford MEP, gave a report of the issues he is raising on behalf of Gibraltar at the European Parliament and in other institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg. Amongst these he highlighted the issue of local pensioners with respect to the Cordoba Understandings. Glyn Ford believes that our pensioners are being discriminated against and is urging the European Commission to make a ruling on whether or not the Understanding is legal. The Labour MEP is also taking up the case of Abdul Ratali, who had his Work Permit withdrawn after 25 years in the labour market. He is convinced that this is a case of political victimisation and has advised Mr Ratali to take the matter up with the E.U. Petitions Committee, of which he is a member.
Other than the speeches proposing and seconding the motions, which gave an ample opportunity for both elected and non-elected members to address the meeting, the highlight of the evening was the address of the Party Leader, who spoke of the special bond that exists within the GSLP family and expressed optimism at future generations of Gibraltarians continuing to defend the values for which the GSLP stands for. Calling for more involvement from the membership and greater personal participation, he told the meeting that, for the GSLP, whenever the election was called the campaign started there and then.
Employment Motion: Working and living in one's honmeland
This Assembly:
Condemns the GSD for having in government encouraged the influx of frontier workers and allowed them to take over jobs traditionally done by Gibraltarians,
Recalls the established policy of the Party to give priority of employment in the public service to local workers and to eliminate illegal labour,
Instructs the Executive to pledge, in the forthcoming elections, to introduce a range of policies that will ensure that Gibraltarians are afforded the opportunity to work and live in their homeland and do not have to emigrate or become frontier workers.
Motion on Social Services Agency:
SERIOUS SHORTCOMINGS
1. This Assembly deplores and condemns the GSD administration for the insensitivity shown to the most vulnerable in our community:
To our disabled people; and
To our children and adults in care
It also condemns the Government for the near total collapse in the provision of Respite Care.
2. It notes the very serious shortcomings in the way the Social Services Agency has been run for a number of years, something that the GSD Government has been aware of but has done nothing to address.
3. It further notes that the stress caused to the Carers themselves by this situation is bad news for the people with Special Needs and their relatives, who look to the Agency for the protection of their loved ones.
4. This General Assembly, therefore, commits the Party, when in Government, to undertake a complete and independent review of the workings of the Agency to ensure the provision of proper and adequate care for those who need it.
MOD Motion: CONDEMNS CONTRACTING OUT
This Assembly ..
1. Notes the Motion of the AGM of 2004 which gave a commitment to the Union and workforce of the MOD to stop the contracting out of work at the expense of direct employment.
2. Notes the Motion of the AGM of 2005 which condemns the decision of the MOD to pursue the policy of contracting out and pledge the Party support at all levels to stop a contractor coming in.
3. Now therefore reaffirms these policies, condemns the decision by the MOD to bring in SERCO and force their employees to transfer to the public sector.
4. This Assembly pledges the full support at all levels of the Party to stop SERCO operating in Gibraltar for as long as this continues to be the declared objective of the workforce and their unions.
Motion on Cordoba Understanding:
EQUAL TREATMENT ON PENSIONS AND REJECTION OF ASPECTS OF CORDOBA
This assembly endorses and approves the position adopted by the Executive in response to the understanding reached at Cordoba on 18. 9. 2006.
It recalls the policy adopted by the AGM of 22.3.2006 which notes that pre-1969 Spanish pensioners were to receive some 30 million pounds in compensation for frozen pensions and declared the policy of the Party to be to achieve equal treatment for our pensioners.
The assembly welcomes the fact that this policy has been pursued by the Party and renews the commitment to achieve equal treatment on terms comparable to what is being paid to pre 1969 Spanish pensioners by way of compensation.
It notes the elements in the Cordoba statement which provide for changes in the operation of the air terminal in 2008 and for the provision of a public building to be used by the Cervantes Institute of the Spanish government which have already been rejected by the Executive and hereby endorses this rejection and mandates the Party to pursue this policy in the forthcoming election and in government.
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