 13 - 19 December 2000 |
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Opinion Ensuring Malta’s social and economic development Foreign Minister Dr Joe Borg recently spoke out on employment and social policy within the context of the European Union at a conference organised by the Confederation of Malta Trade Unions. Following are extracts from his speech. EU membership is a matter that lies very close to the heart of the Maltese people. It is a matter of continual debate, a matter, which is of great importance to us, not solely as a state with our very own ideas and patterns of development, but also as a state with a determined will to preserve all that we have built over the years. We are indeed proud of our achievements to date and of the role we have played as a member of the international community far in excess of our size. Preparing for membership of the European Union is no mean feat. It is an exercise that we have chosen to undergo in order to ensure Malta's continued and enhanced development politically, economically and socially. These three factors are clearly indivisible, as in the absence of one, the remaining two fail to produce balanced development. Yet while the political aspect seems to be taken care of sufficiently well through our dealings with the European Commission and the Member States, the economic and social dimensions require a rather more concerted and comprehensive approach on the local scene. Their complementary yet at times indefinable nature gives added impetus for their closer examination and study. It is in this respect that I truly welcome this initiative of the CMTU. As you are no doubt aware the EU has very wide-ranging legislation on both social policy and employment. Indeed the two are almost always dealt with together as essential components of both EU citizenship and the single market. The Union has established minimum standards in approximately fifty areas related to health and safety at work, equal treatment between men and women, unemployed persons and those having to adapt to changes in Europe's industrial structures. For our part in Malta, as those of you who attended the MEUSAC meeting called to discuss the negotiating position paper on Social Policy and Employment already know, we intend to adopt virtually all of the directives on this subject by the date of accession. This, in certain cases, necessitates amendments to already existing legislation, for example to the Conditions of Employment (Regulation) Act, and in other cases necessitates new legislation altogether, such as the Gender Equality Act. Apart from such strictly legislative improvements, the Government is also working to enhance the Malta Council for Economic Development, which thus far has provided a forum for broadly based consultations between social partners regarding major national policy issues. By the second quarter of 2001 a new Act is to be adopted in order to set up a legal framework for the MCED. This Act will strengthen the tripartite consultation process between the Government and the social partners and will officially change the name of this institution to the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development. The Act also envisages the setting up of a commission for civil society within the institution. There are however, certain directives on which we have requested transitional periods in order to ensure that sufficient time is allowed for the necessary improvements and alterations to present operating procedures. These requests for transitional periods have been arrived at following extensive consultations with our partners from both employers associations and the unions and following the completion of a study by appointed consultants on the likely impact of the implementation of these directives. The transitional periods requested relate to: Directive 93/104/EC concerning certain aspects of working time, Directive 86/188/EEC on the protection of workers from the risks related to noise at work, Directive 89/655/EEC concerning the minimum health and safety requirements for the use of work equipment by workers at work and Directive 92/57/EEC on the implementation of minimum health and safety requirements at temporary or mobile construction sites. Although the Government understands the importance of each of the above-mentioned directives, it was found through the consultations held a few months ago, that the costs to industry of implementing the above four directives would be rather substantial - given that certain costs will need to be incurred for the implementation of the other remaining 45 odd directives. It was therefore decided that transitional periods of four years, one year, three years and one year respectively would be requested on the above directives. The intention behind this decision was to ensure that industry has sufficient time to adjust to the new regulations without being unduly burdened with too many costs at one go. The prudence in this lies in that there were very real concerns for the economic viability of the affected firms, both in terms of continued operations but also with respect to the impact on the local market in terms of jobs and the price of goods to end-users. Barring these four areas, we are very proud that we will have the mechanisms in place to ensure that in every other aspect Malta will meet the requirements of the acquis by the date of accession. Compliance with the acquis is by no means an end in itself. It is the protection that such legislation affords to the workforce and society at large that is the achievement. We have been careful to ensure that the measures undertaken do not focus solely on Malta's legislative capacity, but equally importantly on Malta's ability to implement the said directives. Through the Inspectorate and Enforcement Section of the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations, the institutional set up required for the observance of Labour Law will be respected. Through the Commission for the Advancement of Women, the infrastructural set up to meet the requirements of the acquis is guaranteed for the equality of treatment between men and women. Through the Department of Public Health and the Police Department the obligations related to public health will be upheld. Through the MCED, soon to become the MCESD, and other fora where consultations with our social partners are already established, social dialogue is guaranteed. Through the setting up of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority our obligations to monitor and enforce health and safety will be consolidated. Through the Equal Opportunities Unit established within the National Commission for Persons with Disability, the needs of disabled persons are safeguarded. And finally through the ETC, IPSE, the MDC and the Education Department our obligations with respect to employment are guaranteed. The institutions outlined above will serve to enhance the results envisaged by the legislation that will come into force in order to ensure Malta meets the requirements of the acquis. With these two elements in place, we are confident that we will not only safeguard the rights of the workforce, but that we will take this issue further than ever before on the local scene. | ||||||
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