Cabinet papers | Indolent workers should be boarded out

Government employees who are not able to give a day's worth of work should be boarded. This was one of the conclusions of a Cabinet meeting held on 1 June 1980.

Technically, only disabled or injured employees can be boarded out but this cabinet minute suggests a more widespread use of this benefit as a way to get rid of unproductive workers.

The meeting also agreed that young people should be employed in the bulk buying section so that they may "gain experience abroad in buying the necessary products".

A year prior to this, the Cabinet was told that this was the last chance for the government to take unpopular measures.

"As a last measure we should considered selling some of our things to Maltese people. Such a measure would also restrict the exportation of capital from the country."

This could be a clear indication of the economic difficulties faced by Malta less than three months following the definitive closure of the British military base.

People hardly had time to plan their holidays. On 4 March 1977 - barely three weeks before the celebration of the feast of St Joseph - a decision was taken to strike it off from the list of public holidays.  

On 13 September, Cabinet minutes refer to the need to start works on yachting facilities in Senglea and Kalkara. No such works were ever conducted under Dom Mintoff, who went on to bring down the Alfred Sant government over a marina project in Birgu.

On 26 October 1979 - just 10 days after the ransacking of The Times and the home of the Opposition leader - the Cabinet discussed "what steps should be taken" to rebut claims by the Opposition, local and international newspapers and the council of Europe that the socialist government was encouraging violence by failing to clamp down on those perpetrating it. But no reference was made in the meeting to the incidents.

Mintoff's belligerent attitude towards the British re-emerged during a trade dispute regarding textiles imported from Malta. 

One of the decisions taken was to close the British Council, which was to remain closed until the trade dispute was resolved.

The incident also prompted the government to enact a new policy encouraging the employment of women in industry.

"Wherever possible and practical we should change the policy to employ males in industry by employing women instead."