Updated | Alternative employment already found for 100 Actavis employees – Muscat

The government has already found alternative employment for over half of the 200 Actavis employees that are to be laid off by the company in 2018, according to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Muscat, who was addressing a political meeting at the Labour Party centre in Kirkop on Sunday, said that upon hearing of the news that 200 workers would be laid off by Actavis, the government had immediately approached two companies – not Crane Currency – about the possibility of taking on some of the workers.

“There and then, half of the workers to be laid off by Actavis were guaranteed a job with those two companies,” he said, while reiterating the government’s vow to find alternate employment for all the employees that would be laid off by Actavis.

Muscat noted that on the current affairs programme Xtra on Thursday, he told Saviour Balzan he was sure those 200 workers were no longer concerned about the traffic on our roads – which most surveys showed to be the most common problem that people complained about – but about their livelihood and that of their dependents.

“When I talk to those employees, I will not be talking about the two additional parliamentary seats that the Constitutional Court awarded the Nationalist Party on Friday, but on how this government wants them to rest assured that they will have a job ready for them when the company lays them off in 2018,” he said.

But on court’s decision, Muscat said that the decision was further proof – if any was needed – that the Labour Party was not the establishment in this country, but the underdog.

“The court took away two of our parliamentary seat majority and we need to ensure that the people will gave those seats back to us in the 2018 election – and with interest,” he said.

Muscat said that disappointment and incredulity aside, the government and the PL would respect the institutions and their decisions, as they had always done.

“The repercussions that will result from the court’s decision will be felt, not by this government, but in future legislatures,” he said.

Muscat said that the government was focused on the country’s long-term economic viability and on providing employment opportunities.

Referring to the minimum wage, the prime minister said the government would not wait forever for the unions and employers to reach a common agreement on a proposal for an increase in the minimum wage.

He also commended the government’s commitment to and investment in the education sector, with major plans announced earlier this week that would be providing opportunities for those wishing to pursue graduate studies in certain skills.

Muscat said the investment in the education system – part of a long-term plan that would ultimately provide unlimited opportunities for all students – was equaled by the investment in the health sector, with government tackling long waiting lists and excessive waiting time in the Emergency Department.

He said the agreement with Vitals Global Healthcare under a private public partnership to manage St Luke’s, Karen Grech and the Gozo hospitals would ensure the Maltese public would continue to enjoy free health care in state-of-the-art institutions that would feature the most modern equipment and procedures.

“This government’s vision if for Malta to become of hub of excellence in the health sector, and for foreigners to come to Malta for treatment instead of us having to go abroad,” he said.

PN reaction

In a statement, the Nationalist Party said that Muscat's reaction to the Constitutional Court's sentence proved how detached the prime minister was from the reality of the common person.

"The fact that Muscat continues to refer to the difference in the popular vote in the last election shows he prefers to focus on the past instead of offering a vision for the future," the party said.

"Muscat lost in court, and - with his attitude - more people are losing faith in him."