GWU chief calls on parties to uphold electoral promises

"Who promises must deliver," was the stern warning given by General Workers Union (GWU) secretary general Tony Zarb to political parties during a business breakfast organised by the union to discuss its election proposals.

Zarb said the union would work closely with whoever is elected to govern after the next election, but the union will keep a watchful eye and make sure that promises are kept.

He noted that the union has met with all three political parties in recent weeks to present its proposals but expressed his disappointment at not meeting PN leader Lawrence Gonzi when the proposals were presented to the Nationalist Party whereas the leaders of both Labour and Alternattiva Demokratika had met the GWU.

Speaking on the union's proposals, Zarb said "we will not accept any kind of destructive criticism of our proposals."

On the GWU's proposal to have the Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) allowance reviewed every six months, rather than annually, Zarb said "we have made this proposal because we meet people and it becoming evident that more and more persons cannot make ends meet."

He also slammed the government for making promises to market hawkers for its own electoral purposes.

Veteran journalist Godfrey Grima and economist Joe Vella Bonnici, who gave their views on the union's economic proposals, also addressed the event.

Grima said transparency, accountability and efficiency, which is one of the GWU's proposals, should be the foundation of every economy. However he insisted that all three factors are missing in Malta. He cited the mater Dei hospital construction fiasco, the BWSC saga and SmartCity as prime examples of a lack of accountability.

He also stressed on the lack of honesty in Maltese politics and said this is the only way trust could be created between the state and the people.

Grima added that "Post-Independence Malta is an ageing country, with ageing institutions, parties and a media which is in a worse situation since becoming mainly owned by the parties." The veteran journalist said Malta needs "big ideas" to come out of its comfort zone which he said is a danger zone.

Vella Bonnici pointed out that Malta's economy was based on "instant economics" which only provides short-term solutions.

He said this leads to unsustainable economic growth and called for a thorough evolution of the economy and "a clear strategic plan to give direction to Malta's economy."

Tony Zahra, from the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association noted that Malta cannot create a knowledge based economy unless it tackles the problems in education which is producing a large nuber of unqualified students.

Zahra added that although financial services based in Malta are doing well, they are vulnerable to fiscal changes which could easily mean a migration to other countries.

He also noted that it was very difficult to switch from mass tourism to high end tourism, since Malta's tourism industry is built on mass tourism. 

Sandro Chetcuti from the Malta Developers' Association (MDA) complained of excessive bureaucracy, which was hindering efficiency and investment.

Former PN minister and MDA president Michael Falzon expressed the association's disagreement with the GWU proposal for a tax on third properties, saying this amounted to a hoarding tax.

Falzon said he has reservations on how such a measure can be implemented and urged the union to explain this proposal further. In reaction, the GWU secretary general Tony Zarb said the proposal was not cast in stone and the union was ready to discuss it with the association. 

Michael Grech from Gozo Business Chamber said that Gozo needed to be considered as a separate economy from Malta and this called for a separate strategy and creative proposals.

While calling for an airfield to make Gozo more accessible, Grech explained that Gozo could create its own niche markets such as agri-tourism and religious tourism.