Committee discusses working conditions of part-timers

The House Committee for consideration of bills yesterday discussed the working conditions of part-timers during the debate on the Employment and Industrial Relations Bill.

Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the bill guaranteed minimum rights for part-timers.

The bill provides that part-timers may not be treated differently from full-timers solely because they work for fewer hours unless different treatment is justified on objective grounds. The minister may issue regulations prescribing the conditions for qualification for pro-rata entitlement to specific conditions of work, including the minimum number of hours which a part-timer must work in order to qualify as well as the minimum period of service that may be required prior to qualification.

Part-timers have to be given timely information on the availability of positions at their place of work as well as training and career advancement opportunities.

Labour MP Marie Louise Coleiro said that part-time workers working less than 20 hours per week paid social security contributions but did not get anything in return. Was the government considering lowering the 20-hour threshold?

Dr Gonzi said this had been considered and it was decided to retain the current position following an economic impact study.

Ms Coleiro asked whether a social impact assessment had been held.

Dr Gonzi said that the bill was greatly improving rights for part-timers. A decision, however, had to be taken about where to draw a line. The economic impact assessment established that it was in the national interest to retain, for the moment at least, the 20-hour threshold.

Ms Coleiro said employers were engaging part-timers to work for 19 hours a week so that they would not be obliged to meet certain obligations to them.

Dr Gonzi said social security contributions had to be paid by all those who had an income over a certain limit. Those paying social security were in turn covered by benefits in terms of the Social Security Act.

Ms Coleiro asked how the pro-rata leave entitlement for part-timers was calculated.

The committee invited Director of Labour Frank Pullicino to explain.

Mr Pullicino said that while a full-time employee working eight hours a day, five days a week had 24 working days of leave, a person who worked four hours a day, five days a week had 12 working days leave per year. In this case his working day was deemed to be of four hours.

Ms Coleiro said this meant that part-time factory workers who worked four days a week but had a factory shut down of 15 days were not paid for three days of their leave.

She also asked about the situation of part-time employees working 10 hours a day, two days a week.

Mr Pullicino said that such persons would have 12 days working days leave. In this case each working day was of 10 hours.

Dr Gonzi said that the bill spoke about working days and not hours so that a working day for a person working eight hours a day was eight hours. The working day for somebody working four hours a day was four hours and for one working 10 hours a day, 10 hours.

Ms Coleiro said that a part-time worker working two days a week for 10 hours each time got 120 hours of leave per year while somebody working four hours per day, five days a week got 48 hours. Could something be done to improve this situation?

Dr Gonzi said that nothing should stop the Employment Relations Board from making its own recommendations. The legal notice on part-timers would define the term 'pro rata' Before this was published it had to be discussed by the board. The final position would be taken by the minister.

Ms Coleiro said that there had to be political commitment in the issue. The clause was agreed.