Updated 8pm with government reaction

GWU General Secretary Tony Zarb has reiterated a warning to employers of care workers in the health sector not to mess about with working conditions.

He said these companies had better change their ways “or face the union’s wrath”.

In a closing speech at the annual general meeting of the union’s public sector section this morning, Mr Zarb Mr Zarb said the GWU would ask for these companies to be blacklisted from public contracts if they continued employing people in precarious jobs.

Mr Zarb mocked the creation of an in-house union for care workers by the employers.

“This is the gift they gave care workers... a union with officials chosen by the employer,” he said, urging care workers to join the GWU.

He also criticised the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises, GRTU, for refusing to attend a meeting at the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development that will discuss precarious work.

The GRTU has criticised Government regulations to stem the proliferation of precarious jobs in certain sectors including care workers and security.

In a less dramatic tone he clarified that he will still be around after the GWU’s forthcoming congress in October, saying that he will reach retirement age before the next congress in four years’ time. “I will not be stepping down as yet.”

GRTU SAYS GOVERNMENT IS ITSELF GUILTY OF PRECARIOUS WORK

In a reaction, the GRTU said so-called precarious working conditions would not be improved through government red-tape or by excluding specialised companies or SMEs from government contracts. That would only raise unemployment.

The enforcement of the labour laws should be the responsibility of the Director of Labour, not the Director of Contracts.

Furthermore, the government needed to appreciate that one got what one paid for. The situation of seeking the best possible price meant that working conditions would not be the best.

The government could also set an example by not allowing its own departments and entities to engage people as self-employed under conditions which were recognised as being precarious.

Indeed, it was surprising that the new government had not acted to stop this practice.

A case in point was how the abattoir had issued a notice to engage cleaners as self-employed persons who would be paid €6.25 an hour from which the social contribution and VAT had to be deducted. They were expected to work from 11am to 7pm, including Sundays, without extra pay and without the right for leave and sick leave.

It was such practices which needed to stop, the GRTU said.

GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATING SITUATION

In a reply, the Agriculture Secretariat said that on learning about the situation, it started working with the department concerned for the problem to be addressed. Arrangements were also being made for jobs to be in conformity with the circular on precarious jobs issued by the government a few days ago.

The Secretariat said it was also investigating other jobs considered to be precarious, which were given before the election, particularly at the abbatoir.

 

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