Joseph Attard Kingswell
Encyclopedia
Joseph Attard Kingswell (July 25, 1925 – January 21, 2002) was a Maltese
trade unionist and diplomat
. He served as General Secretary to the General Workers Union, the largest Trade Union in Malta; as well as being the Ambassador
for Malta in Belgium
and the Ambassador Extraordinary in Norway
. He was also the editor of “It-Torċa”, a newspaper issued by the Union, from 1958 to 1967. He travelled abroad on international assignments by I.C.F.T.U from 1959.
Joseph was a delegate for the workers at I.L.O. Conferences since 1955. He had acted as industrial adviser to the Government of Malta and to the Malta Labour Party in Malta and in London and was a member of several Government Boards and Committees. He was a member of the Duke of Edinburgh Commonwealth Conference in Canada in 1960.
Joseph was a member of the Anglo-Maltese Joint Mission in 1967 and member of the Steering Committee.
In 1968 Mr Attard Kingswell was chosen by the Confederation of Civic Councils (Malta) and awarded a Silver Medal of Merit on behalf of the Maltese Nation. The Medal of Merit was awarded to those who had shown special merit or had given exception service to Malta. In 1992 Joseph was made Member of the National Order of Merit which carries the denomination of U.O.M.
During the turbulent 60’s and 70’s, and due to political machinations, Joseph had been removed from the General Workers Union on the pretext that he had helped the government of the day finalise a deal with the British Government regarding the redundancies and compensation of workers employed with the UK Services on the rundown of the military bases in Malta. Another clash had been his opposition to the unification of the Union with the Malta Labour Party, as Joseph felt that such a union was not in the interest of the workers.
Between 1987 and 1996 he served as advisor to Prime Minister Fenech Adami, with special responsibilities for Malta Drydocks and Marsa Shipbuilding.
Mr. Attard Kingswell died after a short battle with cancer in 2002 at the age of 77.
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
trade unionist and diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
. He served as General Secretary to the General Workers Union, the largest Trade Union in Malta; as well as being the Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
for Malta in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Ambassador Extraordinary in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. He was also the editor of “It-Torċa”, a newspaper issued by the Union, from 1958 to 1967. He travelled abroad on international assignments by I.C.F.T.U from 1959.
Joseph was a delegate for the workers at I.L.O. Conferences since 1955. He had acted as industrial adviser to the Government of Malta and to the Malta Labour Party in Malta and in London and was a member of several Government Boards and Committees. He was a member of the Duke of Edinburgh Commonwealth Conference in Canada in 1960.
Joseph was a member of the Anglo-Maltese Joint Mission in 1967 and member of the Steering Committee.
In 1968 Mr Attard Kingswell was chosen by the Confederation of Civic Councils (Malta) and awarded a Silver Medal of Merit on behalf of the Maltese Nation. The Medal of Merit was awarded to those who had shown special merit or had given exception service to Malta. In 1992 Joseph was made Member of the National Order of Merit which carries the denomination of U.O.M.
During the turbulent 60’s and 70’s, and due to political machinations, Joseph had been removed from the General Workers Union on the pretext that he had helped the government of the day finalise a deal with the British Government regarding the redundancies and compensation of workers employed with the UK Services on the rundown of the military bases in Malta. Another clash had been his opposition to the unification of the Union with the Malta Labour Party, as Joseph felt that such a union was not in the interest of the workers.
Between 1987 and 1996 he served as advisor to Prime Minister Fenech Adami, with special responsibilities for Malta Drydocks and Marsa Shipbuilding.
Mr. Attard Kingswell died after a short battle with cancer in 2002 at the age of 77.
Sources
- The Times of Malta, September 21, 1968