‘Labour has no plan on jobs’ says PN over rise in unemployment

The Nationalist Party has once again raised concerns over the latest NSO data on unemployment, saying the increase in 600, over 8%, of unemployed workers over October 2012, had brought the total number to 7,594.

"This statistic is even more worrying in the light of news reports that two major factories will be taking redundancy decisions, with one of these factories to start employing a four-day week while the other considering a number of lay-offs," MPs Mario de Marco and Tonio Fenech said in a joint statement.

The two MPs called on the government and Malta Enterprise to ensure the livelihood of the 600 workers employed by both manufacturing cmopanies, by holding talks with their directors.

"We appreciate the circumstances these two factories are going through, and it is a reality of the manufacturing industry. When 20 companies had passed through the same situation under a Nationalist administration, we appointed a task force to identity solutions and safeguard some 5,000 jobs," the two MPs said.

"The reduction of Malta Enterprise's operational budget does not augur well for such circumstances, and we hope that the government appreciates the massive impact such manufacturing factories have on the economy. We want the government to reconsider its decision not to provide incentives for manufacturing investment."