Government confident of obtaining ‘workable’ solution on public holidays pledge

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has said that he is confident that an agreement with stakeholders could be secured that would allow the government to implement its proposal to give workers back public holidays falling on the weekend.

Muscat was speaking during a meeting between himself and members of the cabinet and the council of the Chamber of Commerce, where he acknowledged that the pledge was a controversial issue.

“We will endeavour to work closely with all stakeholders in order to reach a workable solution for the next legislature to implement this pledge,” Muscat said, adding that when implemented, it would contribute to a better work-life balance for Maltese workers.

Earlier in the meeting, Chamber president Frank Farrugia insisted that the Chamber was against the proposal.

“The Chamber issued a statement denouncing this proposal on the day it was made during the last electoral campaign,” Farrugia said.

Muscat said that given that it was the start of a new legislature, it was a good time to reflect the opportunities created in the last four years, through the government’s pro-business approach and to discuss how these opportunities can be used over the course of this legislature.

The government, he said, had succeeded in growing the economy and that as a result of increased investment, the government had become more “aware of skill shortages”, and had started to address them through the education system.

“We need to go further and we need to determine where we are going to start,” Muscat said, adding that the country’s workforce was a main priority.

Turning to infrastructure, Muscat stressed the need to “sustain the momentum in economic growth”, insisting that infrastructure would be a key priority in reaching this goal. Muscat pointed out that despite the government’s pledge to resurface all of Malta’s roads, infrastructure also meant improvements in other areas such as waste management.  

He added that the government was planning further tax cuts and increases in pensions to drive economic growth further.

The Prime Minister said that besides the country’s physical infrastructure, its financial infrastructure was also in need of an upgrade. For this reason, he said that the government would soon be launching a consultation document to formally discuss with stakeholders ways in which the country could take the financial services sector “to the next level”.

Muscat also spoke of the challenges facing Air Malta, the national airline. He said that government had set out an “ambitious growth strategy” that builds on the airline’s strengths, including punctuality and the quality of its service. Muscat said that the airline would be negotiating a number of collective agreements in the coming months.

He said it would be introducing new routes and will also be increasing fleet, while reiterating the government’s commitment to find a strategic partner for the ailing airline.

On his part, Farrugia said that the Chamber shared ideas with the government on a number of fronts, including infrastructure and simplification of bureaucracy, preservation of the country’s reputation, dealing with acute skill shortages of labour market and Air Malta.

Farrugia said that during the meeting, the Chamber intended to highlight issues of “urgent importance” including those related to regional aid, banking, the continued abuse in free movement of good, excise duties and investment in research, development, technology and innovation.

Farrugia added that the Chamber felt the need for action on loading and unloading difficulties faced by delivery vehicles, the forthcoming POYC reform, the establishment of a Medicines Verification organisation, as well as visas for workers, tourists and language students.

He said the Chamber was grateful the government was “eager to collaborate on efforts” intended to generate wealth and prosperity.