Port work organisation in Malta

Abstract

The study of port work organization in Malta which has been undertaken in this dissertation takes into consideration the handling of cargo from ship’s hold to quay or shed, the categories of workers involved in this operation, and the administrative bodies which control cargo handling and port workers. That is, the meaning of the term ‘port work’ in the title has been restricted to that assigned to it by the Port Workers Regulations 1950, viz. that port work means the engagement of “stevedores and port labourers in the handling of cargo in the process of loading or unloading cargo on or from a ship.” This has been done because the length of the dissertation is regulated by statute of the Royal University of Malta, and this should in no way be taken to mean that the importance of other persons or bodies involved in the organisation of port work such as pilots, lighterage and towage crews, customs officials, tally clerks, delivery clerks, forwarding agents, etc. is overlooked and minimized. As this dissertation has been written with the aim of qualifying for the Diploma in Public Administration, discussion of the subject matter has been made from the administrative angle and the discussion of actual work techniques has been avoided. For this reason, the subject matter has always been discussed first by the exposition of the legislation covering it, and then by the discussion of such legislation and its application in the field. It is to be noted that the subject under consideration is at the moment in a state of flux. As a result, certain information as well as personal impression and deductions about the port have been reached by means of research in the field. I have based myself to a very considerable extent on such personal experience in the port as I was able to obtain when I served as a Customs Officer at Mifsud Verandahs, Marsa, between 1956 and 1959. During this period I was always in charge of the landing, loading and release of goods, and in this capacity I was in constant touch with port workers, ship agents and their representatives, importers, foremen, tally clerks, delivery clerks and other Customs personnel. Later, as an Executive Officer in the Port Division of the Customs and Port Department, I assisted the Port Manger, and his Senior Staff in the work involved during the building of the deep water quays an sheds, the purchasing of mechanical handling equipment and the drawing up of procedures to be adopted when the new port starts operating in terms of the recent legislation. This is referred to again, where appropriate, in the dissertation. Other vital information has come to me through the prompt help of persons occupying or who used to occupy senior positions in the port who granted me interviews in connection with this work. In particular, I would like to acknowledge with thanks the information given to me by Mr. R.D. Crow, Mr. J. Vella Bonnici, Mr. C.A. Zarb, Mr. F. Diss, Mr. A. Cilia, Mr. V. Esposito, Mr. S. Said, and Mr. J. Rossignaud, Director of Emigration, Labour and Social Welfare who also granted me permission to peruse relevant official documents.