Education, a work-life balance and the right to disconnect – EU citizens air their views

Members of the public gave their viewpoints on topical issues in Malta and the European Union at a meeting aimed at giving citizens a voice on European matters

People aired their views on topical affairs in Malta and the European Union at a meeting aimed at giving European citizens a voice
People aired their views on topical affairs in Malta and the European Union at a meeting aimed at giving European citizens a voice

A work-life balance, the right to disconnect, the minimum wage, education, and women’s participation in the workforce were amongst the subjects mentioned at a citizens’ gathering regarding the European Union.

The topics were discussed at a consultation meeting for the public today, organised by MEUSAC and the European Affairs ministry, allowing citizens to air their views on the EU and its future.

The idea behind the consultation processes – which are being held in all EU countries bar the UK – is to allow people to feel more connected to the EU, in light of the perceived disgruntlement which was one of the factors behind the drive for Brexit.

The opinions discussed at the consultation meeting, which was held in Zabbar and was relatively well-attended, will be collated into a report, which will be presented to Malta’s Prime Minister, and should then even reach the EU table.

 “Instead of waiting for people to come to us, we decided to approach them ourselves through these meetings,” European Affairs Minister Helena Dalli said.

“If we want the EU to have a better future, we need to look at it with a critical eye, and address people’s concerns,” she said.

One of the main areas of discussion which came up was employment and establishing a good work-life balance.

Joseph Bugeja, GWU secretary general, said the EU’s employment law needed to start reflecting the reality of the working world today.

He said that there were many workers who were overloaded and “on the verge of being burned out”.

“For the European project to move forward, we cannot focus only on the economic aspect, but also on the social pillar,” Bugeja said, emphasising that changes had to be made to the EU regulations which regulate the maximum working time permitted in member states.

“This social area, which gives citizens social rights and is now being revised, is what makes the EU different from other economic blocs around the world. The EU tries to give people social dignity, not only economic prosperity.”

As the discussion moved on to salaries, Dalli said that, according to EU law, a person could only be allowed to be paid only the minimum wage for a year, after which their pay must be raised.

Social Dialogue parliamentary secretary Aaron Farrugia said the government intended to keep  improving the standard of living for minimum wage earners, and also wanted to introduce more policies, such as increasing the children’s allowance for families which earned the minimum.

“It’s all well and good to say we should increase the minimum wage and living wage, but, from the economic angle, we need to ensure that we balance the books and keep the record-low unemployment rate as it is,” he said.

Amongst the arguments made by the people in attendance was that increases in minimum wage had to reflect the rise in prices due to inflation, such in the cost of daily amenities.

Safeguards for internship students

Carmen Sammut, University of Malta International Relations Department head, leading the debate, turned the discussion to education, asking if people felt there were enough opportunities for learning, both in Malta and within the EU.

“We are focusing too much on study and not enough on practicing a trade,” a woman present said, “Unfortunately a lot of young people study, and hardly any learn a trade.”

“The education system has to prepare people for work,” someone else said, “But it also has to give skills to children which they can put into use in everyday life. It’s a pity that when it comes to internships which teach people work skills, many of these offer very low pay.”

“This doesn’t help those who don’t come from well-off backgrounds but want to try to have work experiences while they study,” he added, saying that measures to protect workers should also extend to students carrying out internships.

“When it comes to things like this, a point has to be raised about the level of EU intervention. It has to be seen to what extent these things should be left up to member states, or if the EU should regulate this,” MEUSAC head Vanni Xuereb underscored.

Right to disconnect

As the subject moved on to how European elderly’s people’s standard of living could be improved, one person suggested bringing down the pension age.

“I’m not sure that would work,” Sammut said, “The trend in Europe seems to be towards raising the pensionable age.”

“This is were having a work-life balance becomes important,” Xuereb said, “The EU can help member states ensure that its citizens are able to enjoy their life even if they are working.”

This, Dalli said, is called “the right to disconnect”. “With technology today, it is easy for people to do things like answering their emails even if they are not at work. But countries, such as France, are discussing giving people rights to not engage in work-related electronic communication.”

Asked by Sammut if the EU could make private employers introduce family-friendly measures, Xuereb said this would have to come from the member states.

“There could be this kind of discussion at European institution level and between the member states and workers’ and employers’ representative,” Xuereb said, “We might want to discuss if we would want to give the EU the power to take certain decision which are currently not within its remit.”

Women in the work force

“There are child care centres available in certain places, but would there not also be the option of child nurseries being set up in the work place?” one man asked.

Alexia Zammit, European Commission Representation in Malta official, said the biggest problem preventing women from joining the work force is that family responsibilities are still thought of as being the job of the woman.

“These duties to be split between the man and the woman, and if this isn’t done, the problem of women’s participation won’t be solved,” Zammit stressed.

The gender pay-gap was also touched upon, with the European Affairs Minister saying this problem could either be seen from a long-term aspect – whereby a woman could fall back if she took time off work for things like pregnancy and raising a child – or from the point of view where a woman is paid less than a man for doing the same work.

“To address these issues, the government is working on a mechanism which will allow those women who feel discriminated to verify, through an online portal, if they are receiving the appropriate salary,” she said.

Support for the elderly

What support exists within the European framework for the elderly, who often need someone to care for them, Sammut asked.

There are proposals at EU level on maternity and paternity leave, and for carers, Zammit highlighted.

“The Commission’s proposal is to give five days per year for people to take care of sick children or dependent relatives, such as parents,” she said, as the meeting drew to a close.