Business unhappy at working time vote

The vote in the European Parliament in favour of scrapping the opt-out clause in a proposed revision of the EU's working time directive has been criticised by the Malta Business Bureau in Brussels.

The bureau represents the Federation of Industries, the Chamber of Commerce and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.

It said the removal of the opt-out, which until now allowed Maltese workers and business the flexibility to adapt their working hours according to need, would negatively affect Malta's competitiveness and the targets set out in the National Action Plan for Employment.

It also argued that reducing flexibility was inconsistent with the Lisbon Agenda's objectives of growth and jobs.

"This vote risks bringing about job losses rather than job creation because it stifles the ability of enterprises to adjust their operations to an ever-changing globalised business environment."

The bureau said that the much-vaunted European social model can only be guaranteed within the context of a dynamic and healthy economy which safeguards full labour market flexibility. Otherwise, the process of de-localisation to emerging economies in North Africa and Asia, which are more adaptable, risks being worsened.

During Wednesday's vote, Malta's MEPs David Casa, Simon Busuttil, Joseph Muscat and Louis Grech voted against the European Parliament's position with only John Attard Montalto, Labour's dead of delegation, abstaining.

Explaining his decision to abstain and not vote against, as the other two Labour MEPs had done, Dr Attard Montalto said that in view of the fact that the working time directive was being especially pushed by his parliamentary group, the Party of European Socialists, which was also very against an opt-out clause, he chose to abstain as this was the most prudent thing to do.

Dr Attard Montalto argued that once the vote was clearly in favour of removing the opt-out clause, his vote would not have made any difference and so "the judicious way out was by abstaining".

He said: "This resulted in not voting in favour of the working time directive and concurrently not voting against the direction given by my political group, the PES."

Nationalist MEP Mr Casa raised the issue during the European People's Party group meeting and reiterated that the directive as proposed by Parliament would have negative effects on the Maltese economy and introduces quite a number of problems for the Maltese employment market.

Mr Casa added that in order to create a dynamic labour market it is crucial that the European Union remains open to change and adapts to different situations that emerge from time to time in different member states.

He said that flexibility is often earmarked as the key for the success of the Lisbon Strategy.