The GWU appeals to the Government to continue presenting new sustainable measures for our economy, with the aim of alleviating some of the employee’s immediate troubles. It also believes that every measure must be tied with the retention of the present employees. In its continuing discussions that the GWU is having with different places of employment, it’s being informed that, notwithstanding these financial measures, redundancies will still be made.
In these unpredictable circumstances, the end of which is still unforseeable, it’s even more important in ensuring that this economic stimulus is sustainable, and does not lead this country to immediate financial problems, which result in a significant recession, with all the negative consequences that this may have on our workers and our pensioners.
In this regard, the GWU agrees that the emphasis should be placed on alleviating the lack of liquidity and income that our companies are facing, and this is to be done thanks to the deferral of tax payments owed by these companies, the Government guarantees on bank loans, as well as direct financial aid to help employee retention.
Simultanously, the Government’s latest measures are positive, as they include direct financial aid to those parents who are unable to go to work, because of the closure of all schools and child care centres, which in turn carry part of the obligatory quarantine leave, as well as the extension of all unemployment benefits to those who unfortunately lose their place of work.
From a social aspect, we praise the positive measures relating to the increase in the rent subsidy for those who lose their employment, as well as those people with physical disabilities. These measures will indubitably alleviate some of the suffering being faced by our workers.
The GWU has reepeatedly stated that it believes in the equality of all workers, and therefore it agrees with the measures introduced so that companies will not fire its workers, and then employ new workers through an agency. The Union also agrees with the decision to not give more work permits for new workers. Another good measure published by the Government was its commitment to help all those third-country national workers which are currently in Malta, in order to ensure suitable replacement employment in case they lose their places of work.
While it approves of all of the aforementioned, the GWU still believes that this is insufficent, and will not stop redundancies from taking place from a number of places of employment. It is for this reason that the GWU proposes more direct fiscal measures, which are directly attached to job retention. This is to be done in the hope that this crisis will pass in the not too distant future.
