PN accuse government of undermining NSO’s independence

The Nationalist Party has deplored what it claims was ‘governmental coercion’ on the National Statistics Office, after the Malta Statistics Authority supported the government’s views on NSO data over the increase of some 2,000 workers with the public service over the past year.

The PN is claiming the government-appointed regulator was used to “cast doubt on the validity, and interpretation” of NSO data on labour force.

“In doing so, government is seriously undermining the independence of the National Statistics Office, which plays a crucial function in a democratic country. Such action certainly contradicts a government which constantly claims to seek making Malta the best amongst its peers,” the PN said.

The PN is insisting that statistics show that between April 2013 and April 2014, there was an increase of 2,024 employees in the public sector. “Considering that around 1,500 resign or retire each year, this means Labour employed over 3,700 with the public sector,” the PN said.

The government has claimed that at least 700 workers were absorbed in the nationalization of public transport operator Arriva  back in January 2014.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna also said that due to a process of reclassification, the statistics published by NSO were not correct. “Scicluna misinterpreted the statistics, giving an incorrect picture of the situation, a fact which was confirmed by the Head of the NSO. It is unclear whether Scicluna is purposefully misinterpreting the figures or whether it is a result of negligence,” the PN said.

According to the MSA, 3,050 full-time employees that were formerly part of the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairswere transferred to the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Change or the Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure.

The former MRRA employees were classified within the construction sector, but the MSA says a better statistical representation should be provided.

“Year‐on-year increases in full-time employment within public administration, and defence compulsory social security were primarily the result of a classification shift in public sector employment from ‘construction’ due to a transfer of  employees from the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs, to either the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and  Climate Change or the Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure. Thus the drop in the number of employees in construction resulted in an increase in the number of employed in Public Administration and Defence.”

The MSA declared that in the absence of the reclassification, employment in Public Administration and Defence, Compulsory Social Security would have risen by 265 full-time employees and employment in construction would have risen by 195.