Reducing bureacracy is Labour priority - Muscat

Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said a new Labour government will address businesses' concerns about red tape and utility prices.

Muscat was visiting JS Dimech Combined Industries, which he lauded as a symbol of how small, innovative businesses can develop into profitable and beneficial ventures.

The company, which started off seven years ago with 50 employees, today employs 140.

"We won't judge investors by their passports," Muscat said. "Maltese investors are just as important to the economy."

Muscat reiterated statements by Trelleborg chief executive Peter Nillson that less business was being brought to the island due to the high service charges imposed by Malta Enterprise, high water and electricity rates, and red tape. "Labour will treat these issues as priority," Muscat said.

The Labour leader also said JS Dimech had provided work for former drydocks workers with suitable working conditions. "It is a message to all Maltese employers that it is possible to have healthy industrial relations and make a profit."

Muscat also said MCAST should be investing in providing training space for workers in trades such as metalwork.