Increase in part-time jobs is cause for concern

The latest figures issued by the National Statistics Office regarding the increase in the number of part-time jobs, exceeding the number of new full-time jobs, is cause for great concern. Figures show that by March 2009 the number of part-time employees whose job is their primary income had increased by 1,536, triple the number of new full-time jobs.

The government should tackle the increased exploitation of part-time workers in various sectors of the Maltese economy. It should ensure that companies are not making use of the present economic crisis situation to increase the exploitation of workers. It should introduce clear measures to discourage employment of workers on a part-time basis when they can be employed as full-timers.

Workers in such employment are disadvantaged in terms of wages, job conditions and other factors such as loans from banks.

Many part-time workers are still not being granted their legal rights by private employers. They are being denied rights such as vacation leave, sick leave and bonuses. Many are working long hours yet are still forced to register as part-time. Others are forced to register as self-employed so as to avoid obtaining their legal rights. Whoever bids for government contracts should include what conditions of work they are offering workers, as currently, a substantial amount of those workers employed by such contractors are employed on a part-time basis.

Another issue concerning part-timers is lack of unionisation. Many workers are denied the right to join trade unions by certain employers. Young workers are often employed by such companies, thus making it easier to impose exploitative practices and to hire and fire workers.

Many such workers are afraid of reporting their employers to the authorities due to the negative repercussions they might face at work. The government should tackle such exploitation.