Manufacturing industry in trouble claims Opposition

The shedding of jobs in the manufacturing industry was a clear indication that this sector was facing a crisis, the Opposition's spokesman or industry and public investments, John Attard Montalto said.

Last March this sector shed 172 jobs; the number of jobs lost in the private production sector in the previous month was 99.

Dr Attard Montalto said that figures from administrative records of the Employment and Training Corporation published by the National Statistics Office show that, compared to March 2002, the number of jobs lost in that month this year increased by 82.

He said that these figures did not include the number of jobs lost in recent weeks, such as the 80 discharged by Toly Products.

Motherwell Bridge Malta Ltd recently discharged 31 employees, while Menrad Ltd laid off 27 workers.

Instead of seeing an expansion in the manufacturing industry, one was experiencing the shrinking of this sector, he said.