The GWU has welcomed the news from the Prime Minister that employees of
contractors who perform the same work as those employed directly by the employer
will receive the same pay.
The General Workers’ Union had raised this issue when labour organisations started
using the services of contract workers. This led to inequality in wages and working
conditions for workers doing the same job in the same workplace, resulting in a lack
of motivation and sadness for these workers.
“This is great news for us and for the thousands of workers who work with the
contractor. This is an issue that we have been fighting for for a long time. The GWU
was the first union to raise this issue and we have insisted on it time and time again.
We believe and insist that every worker should be treated equally, because pay is
based on the value of the work and not on who you work with,” emphasised GWU
General Secretary Josef Bugeja.
The GWU has never ceased to emphasise the principle of equal pay for work of
equal value in every workplace. This is a basis for social justice, for all workers,
regardless of whether they are agency workers or work directly for the employer.
“It has been unacceptable for contractor workers to be paid less than other workers,
an inequality that devalues their contribution and leads to an unequal society. We
look forward to the introduction of this legislation to do justice to these workers,”
Bugeja concluded.
