Today’s launch of the charter ‘Your employment rights’ is a guide to all workers on their rights and obligations at the workplace.

Although many employees earn good salaries and have working conditions that go beyond what is requested by law, there are those who require protection from abuse, those whose rights are violated or at risk of being so.

The government is committed to overseeing that any skirting around employment law which may lead to precarious conditions of work is dealt with.

During the past three years, we have strengthened the Department of Industrial Relations and Employment, the entity responsible for carrying out the necessary inspections at places of work and overseeing that employees are given the right working conditions.

We engaged more EIRA inspectors, who were also provided with better and necessary tools for them to be able to carry out their duties effectively.

We introduced regulations which contractors applying for government tenders have to adhere to in order to qualify for tendering for contracts of work.

This week, the Department of Contracts issued new instructions regarding government tenders, where the award of contracts will no longer be based on the cheapest offer. From next month, public tenders will be awarded to the most economically advantageous proposal. Employment conditions will form an essential element of the adjudication process of such tenders.

Another important step in safeguarding workers’ rights was the introduction of Legal Notice 68/2015, which specifically targets precarious conditions of work.

A number of officers were engaged to investigate contracts for the provision of services to the government. In cases of a breach in regulations, a contractor may end up being blacklisted and thus excluded from tendering for government work for two years.

Every day brings new realitieswe need to investigate to ensure all workers have their rights protected

However, any enforcement medium would not be effective unless both the worker and the employer are aware of the rights and obligations resulting from an employment relationship.

There are many instances where the law is not observed due to a lack of awareness and education, and hence it is imperative that employees as well as employers are informed on the conditions that emanate from the law.

The publication of this charter will be serving as a useful guide for this purpose.

The charter was an electoral pledge. It continues to show this government’s commitment in the area of employment rights when seen in the context of the concrete measures to improve conditions of work taken so far.

A total of €5.2 million was spent last year so that workers employed with contractors servicing a government entity are paid at the same rate as their colleagues doing the same work but who are government employees. These include clerks, cleaners, carers and security workers.

The next step being considered is for these rates to be also applicable to employees working in private elderly homes where the government is purchasing accommodation space.

This is not to speak of new rights that have been introduced such as those rights which contribute to a better balance between family and work responsibilities.

For instance, there are the right to free childcare, the right to pre- and after-school services, the maternity leave fund which eliminates discrimination against women of child-bearing age atjob interviews.

Of course, more needs to be done. Every day brings with it new realities which we need to investigate to make sure all workers have their rights protected.

It is a minority of employers who dare abuse these rights, and it is these few bad apples that need to be brought in line so that workers’ rights are respected and they can fulfill their obligations with dignity.

This year, we will be celebrating Workers’ Day in a context wherein the unemployment rate is the lowest ever on record while also experiencing the highest rate of growth in Europe.

This continues to put the onus on us to be even more proactive in the area of policy concerning workers’ rights.

I wish all workers a happy May 1 tomorrow.

Helena Dalli is Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties.