Reactions by trade unions to the 2011 Budget ranged from lukewarm to favourable yesterday while women’s and disabled people’s groups expressed disappointment at the lack of measures to help the people they represent.

The Confederation of Malta Trade Unions noted that the Budget specifically focused on reducing the fiscal deficit through employment and training schemes. It praised the training incentive offered to minimum-wage earners and other fiscal measures that would generate jobs.

While the Budget had “eco friendly” measures, it held no “real surprises”, the CMTU said.

The Malta Union of Teachers questioned if the investment of €32 million in education was enough to implement the reform. It had expected the government to announce “harsh measures” to combat absenteeism and encourage students to pursue their studies at tertiary level.

It welcomed the VAT refund on construction by private schools and the bigger tax rebate for parents of children who attend such schools.

The tourism and services section of the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin was satisfied with the €48 million the government will pour into various schemes aimed at boosting tourism. But it expressed concern at the two percentage point increase in VAT on accommodation, saying it might affect the sector’s competitiveness. The National Confederation of Women’s Organisations welcomed the number of family-friendly measures aimed at getting women back to work but said there was no indication of how they would work out. The government promised to open a number of childcare centres next year but gave no indication of how the localities would be chosen or when the centres would open.

The organisation could not understand why three childcare centres in Mosta, Xewkija and Corradino were going to be rebuilt. “Too many issues have been left unanswered,” it said.

Also, it was a “disappointment” that nothing had been included in the Budget speech on possible government funding in connection with the extension of the maternity leave.

“The Budget exercise is in itself flawed in that only eight provisions were directed at women, which means Malta is still very far behind from undertaking a gender budgeting exercise,” it said.

Equal Partners Foundation, a voluntary organisation for people with a disability, had perhaps the harshest words saying it was extremely disappointed with the 182 words dedicated to the topic.

The Budget speech referred only to “measures intended to help persons with mobility problems”, which reinforced the view that disability was a problem of ramps and wheelchairs and not one of facilitating access to society, work and independence, it said.

The foundation received a meagre €20,000 – of which it paid €3,600 in annual rent to the government. It said it was ludicrous to believe that people with a disability could subsist on 60 per cent of the minimum wage.

Żminijietna – Voice of the Left expressed disappointment that the Budget was not a social one but focused on generating jobs and increasing competitiveness. No measures had been announced to reduce the utility tariffs or the price of gas or to tackle the problem of social housing, it said.