The GWU was founded during the devastation of the Second World War at a time when Malta was a British colony in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea. Because of its geo-strategic position Malta served as a useful military base for the British Navy and Air Force thus earning itself the title of ‘island-fortress’.

The Second World War, brought with it a relatively high level of employment mainly in the ship repair sector and other ancillary sectors directly linked to the needs of the western military powers in the Mediterranean region.

This reality conditioned the Maltese workers to prosper in times of war and get poorer in times of peace. Such an odd and contrasting reality led the majority of the Maltese workers to mobilize and form a strong trade union to protect their jobs, improve their working and living conditions and to struggle for social justice.

The GWU found its roots towards the end of 1942 amongst the workers of the then British Admiralty Dockyard. Reggie Miller, a civilian clerk in the Drydocks, successfully convinced a small group of workers to set up a strong general union that would in the future leave its mark on the country’s recent history.

Reggie Miller’s impact was immediate. Miller began working to establish what was to be the General workers Union. Consequently, making him the GWU’s founding father. The first public meeting was held in March 1943 where a mass of workers attended.  From among them, an interim committee was appointed with the responsibility of drafting the Union’s constitution (the Statute). Subsequently the draft constitution was read and explained to the workers in another mass activity held a few days later.

At the meeting Reggie Miller enthusiastically accepted the workers call to serve as the organizing committee first secretary. Upon establishing itself the committee embarked on an intensive campaign for membership. Therefore, many more public meetings and conferences were organized around the Island. Needless to say, such activities were held at various places of work due to the fact that they feared hostility and antagonism by the employers. The first  members were initially enrolled on the 1^st of July 1943.

While still in its infancy stage, on the 6^th of July 1943, the committeecombined its efforts with other organizations which were mostly small groups created for benevolent purposes and together with the other organisations submitted a memorandum to the British Government summarising a number, of long-standing demands, including a claim for an adequate rise in the workers’ wages and salaries.