VOICE OF THE
WORKERS ISSUE 52 APRIL 2015
Contents
The Voice of the Workers OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE VOICE OF THE WORKERS PROJECT HAS DISCUSSED A PLETHORA OF ISSUES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO WORKERS’ LIVES. IT HAS SUCCESSFULLY TRAINED WORKERS IN TRIPARTITE ISSUES, AND HAS CONTRIBUTED TO CREATING A FORUM BACKED BY RESEARCH, WHILST PICKING ON THE MINDS OF EXPERTS AND ORGANISATIONS IN THE RELEVANT SUBJECTS, BOTH ON A LOCAL AS WELL AS ON A EUROPEAN LEVEL. A positive aspect of this Project was the feedback that such issues generated. Based on this feedback, UHM gathered a ‘top 5’ list of issues that workers wanted to have discussed at Parliamentary level. These include: • The sustainability of Pensions VOICE OF THE
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• The Traffic problem and creating an efficient and reliable Transport System • A more efficient healthcare system (especially the reduction of waiting times) • The issue of education and early school leavers • The state of the environment
Are we agreed?
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UHM highlights the top five issues of Major Concern for the Workers in Malta
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Top 5 Worker Concerns
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EDITOR’S NOTE JOSEF VELLA
We believe that these issues are urgent. Dealing effectively and creatively with these issues is our only way to ensure sustainability of a socially just society. These issues are a veritable time-bomb on our social, financial and health fabric. The clock is ticking, and it is our right to call upon our parliamentarians to take these issues, conduct responsible and creative discussions, design realistic but ambitious targets, and impliment a serious and committed course of action. In Malta, political debate is very lively. But is this debate really 1
EDITORIAL
tackling such issues, or is precious time spent on useless bickering and electoral rhetoric? As a country, we need to tackle these issues head-on and holistically. We need to look at the big picture and and think outside
the box. It is all about vitality, a sense of purpose, and a will to make things happen. It is an opportunity to lead by example. Our political discussion has to move up a gear. We need quality arguments based on research, doing away with rhetoric that
is more focused on winning elections than on the common good. Workers are asking for concrete action rather than words. As Joseph Joubert once stated: “The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.”
PICTURE STORY
Are we agreed? American politician Cory Booker was not referring to the Maltese political debate when he said: “There is too much disagreement for disagreement’s sake. In a time of persistent challenges that still call into question our most sacred aspirations as a country, we cannot afford shallow callous divisiveness in our public debate.” But his admonition rings very true even here. Our parliamentarians need to tackle urgent issues such as the pensions time-bomb, the sustainability of our transport network, the efficiency of our healthcare and educational system, as well as the state of our environment. Our well-being and welfare as a country depends on the actions we take together, today. VOICE OF THE
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IN THE NEWS
UHM highlights the top five issues of Major Concern for the Workers in Malta THE PENSIONS TIME-BOMB, THE SUSTAINABILITY OF MALTA’S TRANSPORT NETWORK, A MORE EFFICIENT HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM ARE THE MAJOR CONCERNS OF WORKERS IN MALTA
Speaking at a press conference in front of the new Parliament Building in Freedom Square, Valletta, on the 25th of March, UĦM Secretary General Josef Vella said that these were the five issues about which UĦM received most feedback since the launch of the Voice of the Workers project in November 2013. Regarding pensions, Vella explained that workers want VOICE OF THE
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urgentcorrective action to ensure that people who reach pensionableage in the near future can enjoy an adequate standard of living.
of respiratory ailments and illnesses. Furthermore, it will reduce the current negative affects on productivity and worker stress levels.
Another issue that featured was the sustainability of Malta’s transport network. The reduction of traffic and an efficient and reliable public transport system will reduce pollution, which is a major contributor to a number
The workers want Maltese Parliamentarians to address Malta’s healthcare system and urgently tackle issues such as waiting time for appointments and ensure the further development of primary healthcare services. 3
IN THE NEWS
The state of our environment was another key issue to be addressed. Workers want politicians to transform words intoaction, effectively tackling issues such as overdevelopment,enforcement, air quality and water. The fifth, and equally important issue, is Malta’s educational system. Workers want Maltese politicians to address the rate of early school leavers and reduce the number of youth who fall into the unemployment trap, and ultimately into the poverty trap. These top five concerns, expressed visually on a large canvas, were presented to Mr Speaker Dr Anġlu Farrugia who promised to pass on these issues to the respective Standing Committees.UĦM Secretary General Josef Vella said that the Union’s “vision to strengthen the workers’ voice in social dialogue has materialised through the Voice of the Workers project”.
Government of Malta, the Voice of the Workers Project includes a web portal which provides free immediate accessibility to relevant information related to social dialogue through innovative ways. The portal also serves as a platform for the provision of free online training on bipartite and tripartite social dialogue. The project also includes a number of issues of a digital magazine. Josef Vella stated that this has been instrumental to provide
information and education as a means to equip workers to reach informed opinions and make their voicesheard. Through this project, UĦM and its partners, the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) and Confederazione Italian Agricoltori (CIA) aim to improve the knowledge and skills of workers and increase their capacity to actively contribute to social dialogue in Malta.
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Partially funded by the European Social Fund and the VOICE OF THE
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FEATURE
TOP 5
WORKER CONCERNS
2 The sustainability of Malta’s transport Network This issue is dividend into two main sections, namely: • The issue of traffic • An efficient and effective Public Transport system
1 Sustainability of Pensions Adequate pensions are the hallmark of a socially just society. However, with demographic changes (Malta’s population is getting older), Malta will not be able to keep up with demands on its pensions system in the not so distant future. As less and less people will be working to sustain the pensions system, the system is bound to collapse if corrective action is not taken immediately. By now, alternative courses of action have been listed. What remains is timely action that can be taken with the support of all our political class. Talking about worker welfare necessarily includes their right to an accesptable standard of living after retirement age. If not, the proportion of retired persons who are at the risk of poverty can increase. THis is a state of affairs we cannot afford or accept. VOICE OF THE
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With around 596 cars per 1000 people in 2014, Malta one of the largest rates in the world. When considering the small size of the country, the issue becomes even more dramatic. Car traffic is a main cause of pollution and a major contributor to a number of respiratory ailments and illnesses. Moreover, the effects of being stuck in traffic are also far-reaching. These include negative affects on productivity, stress levels, and others. Initiatives such as electric vehicles, car sharing, and addressing the car culture in favour of more use of public transport, need to start gaining ground. Malta needs an efficient and effective Public Transport system. This does not just mean buses, but a other ways of moving about. Given the size of Malta, it is inconcievable that going from one place to another is taking longer. We need to utilise other means of public transport, such as sea transport. Action on other forms of transport, including mono-rail, underground transport and others, can go a long way to addressing this problem. 5
FEATURE MEUSAC STORY
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3 A more efficient Healthcare system Healthcare in Malta is considered a milestone of Malta’s well-being. Our system, in some respects, can be considered to be superior to that existent in other countries. However, taking thge system for granted can be its own downfall. There are issues that need to be tackled, such as the issue of waiting time for appointments. This needs to be tackled in more ways than one: issues of wastage and more efficient utilisation of services, working on primary health care, as well as better use of technology and processes to help in areas where the system is already being stretched.
The state of our environment This issue is a major worker concern. It deals with a plethora of causes and effects of policies, culture, and physical constraints. Issues such as over-development and enforcement, air quality and water scarcity are becoming pressing issues. Workers are becoming more and more concerned about the state of the environment they, and their families live in. The challenges and pressures on our environment are growing over time, and more education and awareness is increasing the profile of these issues. It is no longer acceptable to state that these problems exist. We need to discuss ways of effectively tackling these issues. Courageous decisions based on scientific evidence have to be the result of resoluteness of our political class across the board to call a spade a spade, admit to past mistakes, and plan a comprehensive course of action.
4 The Educational System – addressing the rate of early school leavers The level of early school leavers, a good proportion of whom have literacy problems, is a real and present reality in our educational system. This may be due to a number of reasons, including the fact that the educational system is not really catering for the differenti needs of these young people. Early school leavers lack the flexibility of others who have continued with their education, and a significant proportion of these fail to find a job, let alone a well-paid one. It is a fact that in a market where qualifications are essential, some of these may also fall into the unemployment trap, and ultimately into the poverty trap. The rate of school leavers is a barometer, or indication of the state of a country’s educational system; of whether that system is a success, or whether it is a failure. School leavers are really a symptom of a wider range of issues. For example, did these students leave the educational system, or did the educational system itself fail them to the extent that they have cast it out of their lives? Could the educational system become irrelevant for them? Was the system catering for the way these students tend to learn? Is there too much of an emphasis on examinations and the rat race that such an emphasis tends to trap students into? Is there a pressure on some young people to start work as early as possible? Or could it be the result of social situations? The issue is pressing. VOICE OF THE
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Operational Programme II - Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life Project part-financed by the European Union European Social Fund (ESF) Co-financing rate: 72.25% EU, 12.75 MT, 15% Private Funds Investing in your future VOICE OF THE
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