We are highly concerned about public and civil service employees and, therefore, urge the government to state exactly from where the Budget cuts of 0.59 per cent (€40 million) will be made to meet the criteria of the European Commission.

It seems that the government’s proposal to meet the European commissioner’s criteria is a direct attack on the public service collective agreement and on those workers engaged on a different work contract. The same criteria are also being applied by the European Commission to remove across Europe the labour price index, better known as COLA. We believe that trade unions should be alert to what is being proposed in order to be prepared to safeguard workers’ conditions and the well-being of their families.

It also appears that the European Union, in order to address the competitiveness of the European Single Market and the deficit problem in various European countries, has only one solution: the reduction or freezing of wages and the dismantling of working conditions. “Precariousness” is also a new phenomenon that emerged in the EU under the guise of greater flexibility of the European labour market.

Żminijietna – Voice of the Left feels that it makes more sense for Malta to work for the introduction in the EU of the financial transaction tax, which is a just and equitable measure. If not, the workers will be the ones who will bear all the brunt of the economic system failure.

We, therefore, urge the government to review its proposals to the European Commission and, at the same time, we insist that Malta should support the European proposal on a financial transaction tax.