Employers and unions clash over ‘precarious’ work

The president of the Malta Employers’ Association has fired the latest salvo in an escalating war of words with unions over their claims about employment conditions in Malta.

Many public statements are based on anecdotal evidence

In a Talking Point today, Joshua Zammit lambasts “blinkered” unions for “creating confusion” over the issue of precarious employment and accuses them of being out of touch with reality.

He goes on to criticise as gross overreaction a legal notice regulating the use of self-employment that followed unions’ statements on the issue.

The legal notice was issued on the insistence of unions who claim a number of people are being taken on as self-employed even though they are working full time.

These workers are thereforenot entitled to sick leave ornormal annual leave. This, according to unions, constitutes precarious work which needs tobe addressed.

Last week, Joe Farrugia, the director general of the MEA, gave a presentation to employers about the legal notice and criticised it sharply for cutting across all sectors of the economy rather than addressing those where abusive practices could be taking place.

He conceded that “a small minority” were abusing the system but added there were no statistics that effectively measured the extent of abuse.

“Many public statements about employment conditions in Malta are being based on anecdotal evidence, rather than facts, and are generating an overreaction which is leading to unwarranted legislative measures,” he said.

In a statement following that meeting, the association said it was unhappy about legal notices issued without adequate consultation with the employers affected, “when it transpired that such legal notices were instigated by the unions”.

Unions reacted furiously to the comments. The General Workers’ Union said it was “disgusted” that Mr Farrugia was trying to downplay the problem of precarious work, which was a reality.

Forum Unions Maltin said precarious work in Malta was growing at an alarming rate and workers were afraid to speak up because they believed they would lose their jobs.

Many workers in a variety of sectors were having bad experiences, including ETC employees, carers and security officers who were being paid peanuts and whose dignity was being destroyed, it claimed.

Today Mr Zammit, while saying the MEA is against any form of illegal practice, challenges unions to define precarious employment and name those companies engaged in illegal practices.