Worker's Day, marked last Saturday, has a strong significance in the continuous struggles that trade unions and the workers face against precarious jobs.

According to the latest European Union statistics, this phenomenon is on the rise in an alarming manner.

Precarious employment is a continuous threat to the present and forthcoming working generations and their families. A precarious job is that type of work where there is no job security, low wages, lack of health and safety and inferior working conditions. Workers also face difficulty in making use of bank services for house loans. Among them are the part-time employed, employees on a fixed contract, agency workers and workers engaged as self-employed.

The problem of precariousness is global. The ETUC and ILO are organising various campaigns to raise awareness on this culture of modern slavery brought about by neo-liberal policies.

It is the right time for workers and trade unions to organise themselves and confront the problem of precarious employment.

It's a shame that the Malta Employers' Association and the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry remain passive on this matter and focus only on competitiveness and productivity. Various studies show that workers em-ployed in unstable jobs have less job satisfaction, which results in low productivity.

The Nationalist Administration should work directly in conjunction with the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations and, with the support of trade unions, pass new laws and regulations to suppress precariousness in the labour market.