Austrian Ambassador to Malta Andreas Stadler said he was impressed with Malta’s handling of the Covid 19 pandemic.
He said this during a meeting he had with a delegation from the General Workers’ Union at the Workers’ Memorial Building on Thursday morning.
Stadler began by saying that Covid-19 served as an experience for all of us where we had to adapt to this new reality that came upon us unexpectedly.
He mentioned that while we had a “lockdown” in Malta between March and June, there were three “lockdowns” in Austria, one of which is still ongoing. He said that they are currently hoping that from Monday they will start to lift some restrictions on pupils so that they can re-enter the schools.
Stadler also praised this government’s Covid Wage Supplement action to save jobs and said action is being taken in his country in the face of high unemployment.
The Austrian Ambassador to Malta concluded by expressing confidence that the Covid-19 vaccine will help to reduce the rate of infection.
For his part, GWU Secretary General Josef Bugeja, in welcoming Stadler, said that because of the pandemic, we wanted to be pro-active in workplace measures.
He mentioned how all workplaces worked together to make the necessary change, also giving workers the flexibility to work from home.
Bugeja also spoke about the Covid Wage Supplement and said that this help was crucial for workers during this time of the pandemic. He reiterated that we are currently trying to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 in order to adapt to this new normal.
Deputy Secretary-General Kevin Camilleri was also present at the meeting.
The Malta lockdown was partial as courts, schools, the airport and other facilities were closed. On the other hand, the current situation in Austria is such that there can be no holidays, hotels are closed for the same reason, restaurants and bars can only offer take-out services. or delivery and no indoor dining is allowed, and theatres, museums, cinemas, gyms, swimming pools, zoos are closed. In addition, people are encouraged to stay indoors and leave the house only for important reasons.
