Workers' rights

G. Debono and Peppi Azzopardi ran away from answering the main point of my last letter in which I mentioned "workers' rights", which Maltese and Gozitan workers and their families already enjoy - "rights" which were introduced by Labour governments decades ago and which were either introduced many years later in some EU states or are still inexistent in a number of them!

I refer to such rights as the minimum wage, cost of living increases by law, maternity leave with pay (according to EU directive, maternity leave can be without pay), annual bonus, half-day work in summer for government employees, free medical care and hospitalisation, 40-hour, five-day working week, free medicines, etc.

I dismiss G. Debono's letter, as it was the usual pro-EU rhetoric, which EU supporters have learned by heart. But Peppi Azzopardi's letter (June 10) deserves a reply. Mr Azzopardi based his sole pro-EU argument on four or five points he found in "a number of reports" which he and his Xarabank research officer "had read through" when given this opportunity by the GWU.

There were 18 or so such reports dealing with the various sectors of the EU membership option under consideration by the GWU. I understand that Mr Azzopardi and his colleague spent about an hour or so at the GWU headquarters, "reading through" those reports. How on earth could they have "read through" all those reports when even one report, which I have in my possession, The Final Report, contains 46 pages and would take longer than an hour to "read through"?

Quite obviously, Mr Azzopardi conveniently picked up a few points which he thought would have an impact on some, but left out the conclusions of the final report which were based on the other different report.

Today, may I ask Mr Azzopardi to consider also the following points which would also affect Maltese workers' rights besides the ones I have already mentioned above:

1. Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi told Italian unions that the famous Article 18, which he intended introducing, was much less harsh on workers' rights than what the EU was telling him to do (he was seen waving the EU document he was referring to);

2. The PN government's bill, which greatly increases the list of workers who would be denied the "right" to take industrial action - quite obviously with the blessing of the EU;

3. The latest EU Commission proposals to the convention, with the backing of the EU parliament, to interfere directly in various sectors which are still within the competence of national governments, including the social sector. In this sector, the EU wants a radical overhaul of state pension systems, including retiring age, and the introduction of private pensions through private insurance companies. This would greatly undermine the security of state pensions, a vital matter and "right" for workers and the self-employed when they retire from work;

4. The right of job protection for Maltese and Gozitan workers and the self-employed which would be undermined by the EU's free movement of labour and services despite the "special arrangement" for seven years given by the EU as regards employees - but not the self-employed - in case of a large influx of EU workers;

5. The "right" of Maltese and Gozitan workers, the self-employed and their families not to pay any VAT on food, medicines and educational services.

While for workers in the poor East European states EU membership could mean "a safety net" since they have very few rights, for Maltese and Gozitan workers, the self-employed and their families, EU membership is no safety net at all. Indeed it is becoming more evident each day that it may become a grave threat to the present rights enjoyed by our workers and the self-employed.

The other rights mentioned by Mr Azzopardi, such as the "working-time" directive etc. are, in the main, illusory rights. One example: working time of not more than 48 hours per week "on average". But the "average" is worked out over a four-month period. So a worker can be forced to work, say, 60 hours per week for two months on end (when business peaks) and then made to work, say, 36 hours per week for the other two months of the period (when business slackens)!

Besides, any other so-called "rights" can still be introduced by our government without having to join the EU.