THE Malta Federation of Industry has just published the 56th issue of its quarterly journal Industry Today, which is rich in articles covering a variety of topical issues of interest to industry and the business community in general.
This is the first issue of the journal, which features articles from the new FOI president and director general. In fact, the president's message is a letter to all FOI members, while director general Wilfred Kenely outlines the challenges arising from the new realities manufacturing firms and service providers are operating in.
The cover story of this edition is dedicated to the inauguration of the new FOI premises, presenting the speech former FOI president Anton Borg delivered during the ceremony, as well as a short history of prestigious premises the FOI is now located at - Casa Leone.
Two articles featuring industrial relations are also in this edition. One entitled "Contracts of service for a fixed term", which forms part of the regular series of articles drawn up by FOI legal affairs executive Dr Ingrid Buhagiar, while the other is a continuation of "Employment relationships in a changing Maltese industrial scenario" drawn up by FOI council member Joseph Montebello.
The journal also presents the sixth of a series of Occupational Health and Safety Fact Files compiled by health and safety consultant Ing. Ray Spiteri, on behalf of the Federation, and in collaboration with the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC).
This sixth article, which focuses on noise at work, is very timely in view of the current transposition of the respective EU directive into Maltese law. It provides simple but essential steps to assist business operators reduce the levels to which their employees are exposed. Steps which are also useful as a safety checklist.
Furthermore, this edition gives a start to a series of Information Society Factsheets. This first article is dedicated to the electronic communications principles of the New Regulatory Framework. The series of articles was made possible through the support of the Europe Information Society Thematic Portal.
More European developments are presented within the regular feature drawn up by FOI executive Cecilia Vella. In this article the new taxation and customs Website of the EU is outlined, as is the EU Commission's new portal for women in business, giving access to a series of links to female entrepreneurs' national and international organisations, as well as networks, projects and events promoting female entrepreneurship.
"Making Malta a country of programme and jobs" will be the next article in the series of articles drawn up by FOI executive Kevin Caruana, while Dr Claude Farrugia, FOI pharmaceutical manufacturing sector's group co-ordinator, discusses the future of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry around the globe.
In addition to the regular section on FOI and the Malta Business Bureau, this issue presents articles on the shared responsibilities of waste management, anti-discrimination, the SOLVIT network, an insurance perspective of consumer protection and the Air Malta-MTA co-operation agreement.
The journal also includes profiles of two FOI members - Carlo Gavazzi Ltd and Lombard Bank Malta plc, news from the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE), and news from the FOI sponsoring partners.