Only 21 per cent of the Maltese think working conditions in Malta are bad, compared with 43 per cent across the EU as a whole.

A Eurobarometer survey found that just over half of European workers perceive working conditions in their country to be good (53 per cent), but a majority (57 per cent) think their working conditions have deteriorated in the past five years.

In Malta, only 15 per cent thought they had deteriorated, with 40 per cent saying they had improved and 35 per cent saying they had not changed.

The highest rating for satisfactory working conditions was 94 per cent in Denmark, with the lowest (38 per cent) in Greece.

Most workers in the EU expressed high levels of satisfaction with their working hours (80 per cent), roughly in line with the 83 per cent reported in Malta.

The Maltese were also very satisfied with the work-life balance, with 76 per cent saying were satisfied, compared with the EU average of 74 per cent.

The Maltese, however, fared considerably worse when it came to communications about their employers’ financial situation and possible restructuring. Only 46 per cent of the Maltese average were informed, compared with 63 per cent in the EU as a whole.

The results of the Eurobarometer will feed in to a conference on current and future prospects for EU action being held in Brussels tomorrow.

“Protecting and promoting working conditions in the EU is about taking care of our human capital. We have a remarkable heritage of law and policies to ensure good working conditions that allow for high levels of satisfaction among European workers. But there is a fear also, and a real risk, that working conditions will suffer in the wake of the economic crisis,” EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion László Andor commented.

Working conditions for the purpose of the Eurobarometer were defined as working time, work organisation, health and safety at work, employee representation and relations with employers.