A Gozitan worker who runs into a problem at work prefers to go to a member of parliament or the Ministry for help rather than a union. This reflects the attitude that many Gozitan residents and workers have about trade unions. 

Gozitan workers who spoke to Voice of the Workers explained that, because the island is so small and insular and because everyone there knows everybody else, Gozitan workers find it easy to go to the Ministry to speak with a member of parliament to solve a work-related problem. 

Gozitans have not yet subscribed to the notion that there is strength in numbers and that a union can help you gain better conditions. There was a time, back in the seventies when the manufacturing sector was booming in Gozo, when unions were popular and needed by Gozitans. 

Today, anyone who does not manage to find a solution to their problem, and these cases are few, ends up having to join a union to find the help and the service they need. However, things seem to be changing and more Gozitan workers are signing up with the UĦM Voice of the Workers, particularly those works involved in the transport services between the two islands and those who work with security companies. 

This is because the union can be their shield and can help negotiate a better collective agreement with better conditions and pay. Even employees of the Gozo General Hospital are signing up because they fear the private sector and fear for their future in the context of the saga of the privatisation of the hospitals. 

Having said this, there is a lack of information in Gozo on how a union can benefit Gozitan workers. Education and training is crucial to raise awareness. 

Gozitan workers who are affiliated with UĦM Voice of the Workers know first-hand the impeccable service that this union provides to those who ask.