The Opposition this evening reiterated its appeal to the government to acknowledge and tackle problems which the manufacturing sector is facing.

The shadow minister for finance, Mario de Marco, said that over the past two years, the value of industrial exports shrunk, the average wage of the manufacturing sector's employees decreased, and the contribution of manufacturing to GDP growth went into negative territory.  

"By refusing to acknowledge the problem and to adopt a clear plan of action, the government is putting at risk the take-home pay of these individuals. Unless corrective action is taken by government to help improve the competitiveness of our manufacturing industry, there could be a risk that the De La Rue lay offs will not be an isolated experience," Dr de Marco said.

The Opposition, he added, supported the call made in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Industrial Policy document on the need to address the county’s cost structures and ensure they are aligned with the country’s competitive needs.

"In the short-term, the government should consider heeding the call made by various constituted bodies and the Opposition to lower further the electricity rates especially at a time when oil prices have dropped by half over this past year. Moreover, the government should lower substantially the price of fuel which is eroding the competitiveness of various industries particularly our manufacturing industry. The government should also address those issues that pushed Malta further down the Global Competitiveness index over the past two years," Dr de Marco said.

He pointed out that the PN's document entitled “Economy for the People” featured proposals aimed at transforming the manufacturing sector into a higher value added industry in the long-run.