The consultation process initiated by the government regarding the contractor licensing proposal continues to receive a positive response from various sectors of the community.
Both the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises and the General Workers’ Union have pointed out the importance that this type of license will have in the construction sector; a license that will lead to a better standard and quality of work.
The executive director of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, Abigail Mamo, also pointed out that the government has already held a social dialog with the social partners before this publication, although the public consultation began only a few days ago.
“This bill is not the first time we have heard about it, that is, this work has been going on for a long time and we have already been involved in it. We have had the initial feedback, we have had a presentation, and today, of course, we have a bill that makes sense to everybody. We welcome it very much, we welcome the purpose of this bill, and we think it’s very necessary.”
The General Secretary of the General Workers’ Union, Josef Bugeja, also spoke of the importance and necessity of this change proposed by the government.
“Since we want to improve the quality of the sector, it can not be that all contractors do different works, but none of them have a license.”
Abigail Mamo continued that also noted that this license in the field of construction will ensure fair and reputable conditions between contractors.
“Obviously we see that the standard of construction and related work in Malta needs to be raised, it needs a higher level of seriousness. That’s why we who represent the companies are happy about this, because those who are serious, who do things properly, should compete with those who are as serious as they are.”
That was agreed to by the general secretary of the General Workers’ Union, who said the union would participate fully in the public consultation.
“We have seen three aspects that are very important to us. One is the licensing and division of the work that is being done. The other is the health and safety of the workers – the assurance that every employer must take out insurance for their workers, and also the certification and all the equipment that will be used to really improve the quality of the industry and the workers who work in it”
Both the General Secretary of the General Workers’ Union and the CEO of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises stressed that only through a comprehensive social dialog involving all social partners will the government be able to find the best regulation to achieve the goals that must be achieved with licensing in the sector.
The public consultation ends on April 21.
