AD denounce unequal conditions for Mater Dei and IPSL workers

Green party Alternattiva Demokratika has called for an end to exploitative practices in the public sector, that are preventing workers from benefitting from equal rights.

AD spokesperson for EU and international affairs Prof. Arnold Cassola today said the 1,000-odd employees of the government company Industrial Projects & Services Ltd (IPSL) were being employed under different conditions and salaries.

The IPSL employees were formerly Malta Shipbuilding, Drydocks and Kalaxlokk Ltd employees made redundant in 2003, and absorbed into the surrogate company to provide government departments with human resources.

"Those that are obtaining salary increases to reflect their new duties are being given these increases in the form of an allowance. Basically, they are bound to perform the same duties of government employees but with less rights. And this is not right. The concept of equal salaries and equal conditions for equal jobs should be the mainstay of a socially just society," Cassola said.

AD chairperson Michael Briguglio, also said that some 300 employees at Mater Dei Hospital working as clerks, security officials and parkers by a private company were not being given the same rights, such as salary scale, to other workers performing equivalent jobs. Government had promised these workers, through their representatives, the General Workers' Union, to have equal rights, but this has not been implemented."

Briguglio added: "In parliament, AD will ensure that equal rights are given for equal work. With regard to public contracts, social criteria should be established to ensure that it is only serious companies which respect workers' rights and the law are awarded such contracts.

"Every definite contact which is renewed for more than one year should be automatically considered as an indefinite contract. There should be stop to abusive practices where workers are engaged on definitive contracts for a period which expires a few days shorter than that stipulated by law to be eligible for an indefinite contract."