Exploitative practices at work should work and equal rights should be given to workers performing equal work, Alternattiva Demokratika said.

Spokesman Arnold Cassola said that the 1,000 or so odd Industrial Projects and Services Limited

(IPSL) workers who were made redundant following the closure of Malta Shipbuilding, Malta Shipyards and Kalaxlokk Co. Ltd., were working under different conditions and salaries.

Those who were obtaining salary increases to reflect their new duties were being given the increases in the form of an allowance, performing the same duties of government employees but with fewer rights. 

AD chairman Michael Briguglio mentioned the 300 workers at Mater Dei Hospital working as clerks, security officials and parkers by a private company who were not being given the same rights as other workers performing equivalent jobs.

AD in Parliament would ensure that equal rights were given for equal work. It would establish social criteria to ensure that only serious companies which respected workers’ rights and the law were awarded such contracts.

Moreover, every definite contact renewed for more than one year should be automatically considered an indefinite contract.