ETC to assist Selmun Palace employees find new jobs
The Employment and Training Corporation has been instructed by the government to put all that was necessary at the disposal of the 58 Selmun Palace Hotel employees who received their notice of dismissal last week.
Speaking on Radio 101 this morning, Dr Gonzi hoped that these workers would find a new job as soon as possible.
He said the decision to dismiss them had been a very tough one but it had to be taken after the government failed to sell the company, an Air Malta subsidiary, in spite its efforts in the past three years.
The government had made it a condition that buyers would have to take on the workers.
HONORARIA
Dr Gonzi also referred to yesterday's Parliamentary debate on the Oppostion's honoraria motion and insisted that in giving himself and ministers a raise, the government had only followed the system used in the House of Commons, on which it was modelled.
He said that while ministers previously had to give up their honoraria, they were now getting both the ministerial pay and honoraria.
This decision followed another the government had taken in the last legislature, through which MPs who worked in the civil service no longer had to resign their job on being elected.
Through this decision, Labour MP Roderick Galdes was getting an additional €566 a week, Silvio Parnis, an additional €270 a week and Anthony Zammit an additional €1,137 a week. This was money they would otherwise have had to give up.
Dr Gonzi said he proposed that the system should be examined by the House Select Committee for Democracy. Although it seemed that the Opposition was not agreeing with this proposal, the government would still go ahead with it.
IVF
The Prime Minister spoke briefly on IVF saying he hoped he would be able to move a bill on to Parliament in the coming weeks, following a discussion in the PN's parliamentary group.
He spoke on progress being achieved in the country, including that 75 per cent of students were now continuing with their education after the age of 16, an economic growth of 2.3 per cent in the first three months of the year and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU.
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Rocco Camilleri
Jun 13th 2011, 08:46
Sur Prim. Ministru jekk trid lin-nies tibqa tirrispettak ara li huma wkoll jigu rispettati. Fuq din il-bicca ta' l-Onoraria sar kollox bil-habi kemm jista jkun ghax qatt ma' semmiet fil-Budget. Inkunu sinciera ghax hafna nies qedien ibghatu u ma' noqghodux nghidu li l-ekonomija sejra tajba u il-Haddiem ittih zjieda ta' 1.16 euro fejn lanqas jibdew ma' li hadtu intom. Biex tqabbel il-pagi taghkom ma' tal-House of Commons l-ewwel ara kemm nies dawn qed jirrapprezentaw aktar minnkom u ukoll ipparagguna l-pagi taghna wkoll. U x'hemm ghalfejn kellek toqghod tghidilna li ghid lil ETC biex jiehdu hsieb il-Haddiema ta'-Selmun Palace Hotel, mela l-ETC ma' tafx x'ghanda tghamel jew insiet ukoll. Tinshiex imma li ix-xoghol int trid iggibu u mhux L- ETC.
Mr Joseph E Briffa
Jun 13th 2011, 08:38
The important thing for the people is not how much MPs are paid, but rather that they deliver the goods. There is no doubt that they are, as can be witnessed by the state of the economy which is the barometer that people use to measure the success of an administration. Has Malta moved forward over the last decade? Without any doubt it has. Figures speak for themselves. Is the quality of people better than ten years ago? Without doubt it is, one has merely to look around them and see for themselves. The Maltese have never experienced the quality of life they are enjoying now and this despite the biggest recession the world has ever experienced. Did this happen by chance? Can the administration claim any credit for this? Indeed I would say that things don't just happen and that we must give some credit to the administration. Even if the Exchequer has to fork out something extra to cover the rise in the Cabinet's salary it would be money well spent once Cabinet is doing a good job. However Cabinet is not costing us more; we are told that the reduction in minister's posts has resulted in a saving of Eur1 million a year, ,while the rise in Cabinet members' salaries amounts to Eur0.4 million thereby resulting in an overall saving of Eur0.6 million a year.
james zammit
Jun 13th 2011, 08:20
Ahna dak li hadt int haduh shabek u jekk tal-PL haduhom ukoll ghalija ukoll hu skandlu. Jien ilni nghid li tal-PL,hemm minnhom mohhom fil-flus u ghalhekk qeghdin ihossuhom skomdi jattakkaw lill-gvern, Imma .ahna l-pensjonanti u dawk paga baxxa qed inbatu l-aktar. Jientlift kull fiducja fil-PL u jekk veru jrid jaghmel xi haga hi -ohrog mill-parliament- kif ghamlu huma ghax inkella tkun qed titkellem ghall-gallerija u toqghod taqa' ghac-cajt ghax dawn taf qtt mhu ser jivvutaw kontra l-gvern
Mr J. Borg
Jun 13th 2011, 11:55
@ jmes zammi
Ghalija il-PM qed jipprova jhawwad l-imhuh.....li qed jghid fuq il-membri tal-PL din kienet anomalija ghax fil-waqt li dawk li jahdmu mal-rivat ma kienux jitilfu xogholhom dawk li jahdmu mal-gvern kien ikollhom jirrezinjaw. Allura din bil-fors kella tigi irrangata u mhux kif qed jghid il-PM, li ta iz-zieda lil dawn il-membri tal-PL.
Il-kaz t l-onorarja ma ghandux x'jaqsam ma l-irrangar ta' l-anomalija li kien hemm qabel.
Mr J. Borg
Jun 13th 2011, 08:05
For me the Prime Minister got it all wrong when he is saying that the PL didn't mention the payment given to Rodrick Galdes, Silvio Parnis and Profs A. Zammit. He is adhering this to the Minister's honoraria. In fact he should have said that this was an anomaly, because members of parlament working in the private sector didn't lose their job whilst those employed with the governemnt had to forfeit thier work. This was an anaomaly which had to be solved and this has nothing to do with his honoraria and the ministers.
Dear PM don't try to treat us as "CWIEC" as your finance ministers is depicting Maltese nationals.
Mr G Psaila
Jun 12th 2011, 20:10
Treat everyone equally and with respect Dr Gonzi!
Nathalie Cole
Jun 12th 2011, 17:19
One of the main objectives of the ETC is to match unemployed personnel with prospective new careers.
What the Prime Minister has instigated in his speech, is that not all the Maltese people are treated equally and he is discriminating between different facets of unemployment.
The Prime Minister never uttered a word and gave importance to the people who were made redundant from their jobs in Libya. He never gave instructions to the ETC to aid these people in relocating them, with jobs in Malta. Just because they are working abroard does that make them different from the people who work locally. After all they also pay their taxes and their vote is still valid at the end of the day.
Mr Joseph Calleja
Jun 12th 2011, 17:17
Dr Gonzi in reference to the Selmun Palace property: What is going to happen to this property with nobody there to keep up with the security and maintenance of the property? Since it is going to be empty and neglected, are you going to allow squatters live on the property? Why not turn the hotel into a retirement centre or a rehab centre or ? And what about the Majestic Selmun Palace? Why not transfer this Historic Palace to the Malta heritage or the Mellieha Heritage Group. Are you going to let the Selmun Palace deteriorate? You just wasted 4 million euros on a wasteful unbinding referendum, but you cannot find it in your heart to maintain the upkeep of the Selmun Palace and Hotel? What a shame. Many local citizens and tourists would love to get a chance and go inside this Magnificent and Historical Palace. So much for Tourist attractions. maybe not enough votes in Selmun?
Joe Grech
Jun 12th 2011, 16:42
Re: Honoraria - I find it rather absurd and illogical that the Hon. P.M. should declare that ''in giving himself and ministers a raise, the government had only followed the system used in the House of Commons, on which it was modelled.'
Surely he knows deep down (I assume he has a concience) that no government can do what his has done without informing parliament first and making sure that any liberties with Citizen Money at least has the go-ahead of the M.P.s - those we voted in to make sure that our rights would be respected. Included those who just pocketed the money, no questions asked!
I am sorry dear P.M. you do not sound convincing to me with this silly argument you have put forward.
I am more inclined to believe that you splashed out with the money to ensure that Cabinet would follow Party rules in important issues that cropped up recently.
It is after all what you did when you threw Taxpayer Money into the laps of the backbenchers who were showing displeasure at the way they were being left out in decision taking. That was another big
irresponsible sacriliege which people will certainly remember come voting time.
Referring to what Roderick Galdes etc are earning is simply meant to digress - in this time of sacrifice you should ensure together with the leader of the Opposition that any undue wastage of public funds should be immediately set right. Now that would be the sort of leadership most Maltese would admire. Alas it's only a dream! Malta's coffers are being milked dry....and you probably know it.
Mr John Micallef
Jun 12th 2011, 18:12
Joe Grech - you could not have put it all together any better.
Re: Concience - I am amused (not!) by the way the PM swings in his or the MP's concience when he's confronted with a human, realistic situation - and here I'm referring to IVF and to what the PM said on Radio 101. Thankfully, he did not resort to the excuse that the Government did not have the mandate to make a legislation on IVF!! But the government seems to have gotten the mandate to squander millions of Euros in useless projects according to the PM.
Mr Victor Laiviera
Jun 12th 2011, 15:49
As far as I know, that's what the ETC is there for - to help people find jobs.
So do we need the PM to tell us that the ETC is going to do its job? Or that it does NOT do its job unless the PM orders it to?
Is this for real?
Mr John Micallef
Jun 12th 2011, 18:16
The ETC is presently burning away thousands of Euros that it got from the EU just to show it's doing something. It's packed full of smart @sses who think they know it all, and send virtually unemployable over-50's (not their fault, it's just that time is against them) to useless training courses and job applications that never materialise. ETC do not follow it up, but instead put it in the poor unemployed sod who has to spend money in unfruitful trips to the ETC in Hal Far and sending letters to which he would never receive replies.
Completely unconvincing the ETC is.
Mr Patrick Zammit
Jun 12th 2011, 15:27
So, our PM justified the obscene increases by saying "the government had only followed the system used in the House of Commons, on which it was modelled.".
Why did he conveniently forget that on the 15th of last December, he is on record insisting that he would not be influenced by other countries?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20101215/local/centre-for-family-studies-launched.341111
Robert Lewis
Jun 12th 2011, 14:33
Mr.Prim Minister you are contradicting yourself about the wage increase you and your friends voted for by stating that "Through this decision, Labour MP Roderick Galdes was getting an additional €566 a week, Silvio Parnis, an additional €270 a week and Anthony Zammit an additional €1,137 a week. This was money they would otherwise have had to give up." So in other words you voted against this motion in order to safe guard these three MPs, am I right or you are trying to make fool of us. Although these 3 MPs were going to loose these increases, they still voted in favour of the motion. You and your friends could have easily jumped on the same boat, hekk titlob l-irgulija u mela dal hafna gideb. As regards the Selmun workers, Mr. Prim Minister can you assure them that they won't receive a letter from ETC instructing them to go and look for a job without a salary, and then ETC will pay them 50% of the minimum wage. If you are reading this comment you will definitely know what I'm talking about. Your Govt. have jobs and money, but it depends who you are. At least try to be a bit honest with the citizen.
P. Zammit
Jun 12th 2011, 14:56
Those 3 MP's would have not lost those increases. In any case as soon as Labour is elected the honoraria will no longer be paid and that is not too far off.
Robert Lewis
Jun 12th 2011, 17:12
@Mr.P.Zammit. I only quoted the Prime Minister whereby he said. This was money they would otherwise have had to give up, which obviously means they would have lost them.
Noel Mifsud
Jun 12th 2011, 12:56
Ma nafx ta imma gahndu jkun int wethom li hadd mhu se jitlef il post tax xoghol tieghu. Jew mhux tieghek kien il programm elettorali. Fuq iz zieda tajba hafna kienet, grazzi hafna lio hadt ghalik ghax ghaz zajra ma ha xejn lanqas ghajnuna tal fuel ma tajtuh, imma la hadtuha int u shabe tajba zgur nawguralek u proset. L-ekonimija kibret 2.3% u nista nsaqsik il paga tieghek kemm kibret, nispera bhal ekonomija 2.3%. Kompli idhaq bin nies. Nispera li l ahhar dahqa tkun tal poplu.
Mr Martin Saliba
Jun 12th 2011, 12:55
The Employment and Training Corporation has been instructed by the government to put all that was necessary at the disposal of the 58 Selmun Palace Hotel employees who received their notice of dismissal last week.
So if an ex employee from selmun palace hotel and i apply for the same job they get first preference no matter how long i have been waiting for a job ? Will they be given a wider choice of vacancys to choose from ? Will they be offered the best paying jobs ? This is all a load of bull ,are we not equal no matter how one looses his job ? Paroli zejed mil galarija dan.
Charlie Borg
Jun 12th 2011, 12:36
The PM follows what happens in the House of Commons, and what happens abroad, where it suits him! Why doesn't Malta become a Protestant country, then, ... araw naqra f'raguna ghandu dan il-bniedem li ghandu f'idejh it-tmun tal-pajjiz. Veru patetiku!
Stephen Koludrovic
Jun 12th 2011, 16:21
@ Charlie Borg,
We have to be careful about following what happens in the house of Commons. The British have a tendency of putting Lords and also common Mps in jail, if caught milking their parliamentary privileges.
Mr Joseph Calleja
Jun 12th 2011, 17:02
@ Stephen Koludrovic
Which of the politicians will go to jail first if caught milking their parliamentary privileges? That is the question. If they do that, maybe our prisons can be improved. Also Stephen, if that was the case, we don't have enough room to accommodate all of them in prison.