Workers still being exploited in Malta, Tony Zarb warns

While addressing the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s Annual General Assembly in Geneva on Wednesday, Zarb explained that in the third millennium, the world was still discussing decent work, precarious employment, cheap and child labour, economic recessions and the negative impacts of globalization, amongst others.

“Although one of the smallest islands on the world map, Malta is experiencing many of the issues I have mention in the above list,” Zarb lamented.

Zarb described as “indecent” the fact that although Malta had an established legal framework, “there is a substantial number of employees in Malta who are denied their rights by not being paid the statutory minimum wage, are not entitled to sick leave and vocational leave and do not enjoy health and safety measures”.

Confronted with such claims, the GWU “does not hesitate to report to the authorities such employers and at the same time use the media to name and shame them,” Zarb added.

Zarb also lamented about the bad working conditions which migrant workers were being exploited in Malta, with the GWU “making its case with the Government” about the matter.

More worrying still, Zarb warned, was the fact that there were instances where the Maltese government “is tolerating the deployment of individuals on self-employed basis, even if they don’t have such a drive, rather than engaging personnel on an employee status”.

The reasons after such a manoeuvre, Zarb warned, was “very obvious – self-employed individuals do not enjoy the same conditions and benefits as employees do.”

Self-employed people, he explained, were not entitled to vocational leave,

On the issue of child labour, Zarb urged the Nationalist Government “to conduct an intensive research on this matter, since we are sure that this reality exists in particular in family-run and small business enterprises”.

Zarb warned that the GWU will remain “vigilant” on the Nationalist government, which, “although the various professional advices given, still persisted with its decision and have permitted another rise in the water and electricity tariffs”

Zarb slammed the rise as “definitely improper” at a time when Malta was still recovering from the global economic crises. “This rise is negatively affecting both our industries and our families,” he warned.

“As a union, we have also called upon our government, since while social partners are doing their utmost to support the concept of life-long-learning; the government is continuously encouraging practices such as early retirements,” Zarb concluded his speech.