The UĦM is steadfast in its mission to achieve new opportunities and security not just for some categories of workers but for all workers irrespective of their skills and abilities. Needless to highlight, the more able and skilled our workforce, the easier it becomes to grasp opportunities.

Globalisation has brought significant changes to our labour market. It has taken its toll on various countries. In Malta we have had to navigate through this phenomenon too, with all its negative and positive effects, as the island is not isolated.

I have gladly participated in a number of inaugural ceremonies of new companies and enterprises setting foot in Malta while I have grieved with workers and their families when redundancies and closures of businesses were announced.

Globalisation has brought new risks and insecurities. On the one hand, faster movement of capital from one country to another, innovation and new technologies, free movement of workers, and a more volatile international economy have benefitted consumers through new and cheaper products and services. The downside of globalisation is the risk of losing one's job and livelihood, not just to local competition but also to international markets and competition pressures.

Denmark's "flexicurity" system and Britain's "welfare to work" programmes are two successful examples whereby national trade union movements are involved in the process of moving employment from traditional manufacturing and services to new enterprises transformed and aided by advanced technologies.

In both countries the trade union movement participates in the whole process of assisting workers. Trade unions help workers seek knowledge centres and encourage them to take training in emerging sectors of the economy. It would be worthwhile to emulate this in Malta.

The adopted policies need to be supplemented and supported by education, training systems and lifelong learning to enable us to build a skilled, versatile and adaptable workforce which can weather any setbacks in a fast-moving world economy.

Undoubtedly we will continue to have workers served with redundancy notices as large and small businesses go bust under economic pressures or due to the transfer of their operations to countries with poor conditions of work and low salaries.

This new, modern global economy is characterised by higher productivity, shifting market demands, flexibility in product development and transfer of capital. Governments, firms and workers need to be able to respond quickly and adapt rapidly to these changes to ensure they keep abreast.

In the modern economy there are two approaches to economic policy flexibility: One without fairness that leaves workers helpless and alone in the face of change; or flexibility with security. The latter approach is promoted by the UĦM. The UĦM has for the last decade adamantly proposed to governments and companies that workers be equipped to cope with change and tackle the insecurities that abound from time to time as the economy fluctuates under various pressures imposed by both local and imported costs and by globalisation.

The UĦM's vision of our society is one whereby the individual feels safe and secure as far as is reasonably practicable. In this regard it will continue to make every effort to assist workers within these five core values:
i) respect for fundamental rights of workers;
ii) support, information, consultation;
iii) eradication of all forms of discrimination;
iv) support for workers to develop their full potential;
v) fostering of solidarity.

The UĦM has and will continue to work towards the full development of our workforce notwithstanding that unions are excluded from having a member at directorship level of the Employment Training Corporation, (ETC) and Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Mcast).

Through effective participation both at ETC and Mcast, the UĦM can better serve workers and workers-to-be within our changing economy.

This will help increase their confidence, while the workers will better value the ability to change and adapt to market and international pressures. The UĦM can serve as a vehicle to ensure a smoother transition of students from school to work while facilitating the movement of workers from one job to another as Malta's economy shifts and develops.

The UĦM is for breaking the old-fashioned "status quo" with recommendations and counsel while encouraging workers to embrace opportunities in the new economy.

Mr Vella is secretary general of the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin.

gvella@uhm.org.mt