The Union’s goal has always been to improve the lives of all members and workers. It does this by working to provide them with a standard of living commensurate with the progress of the times. The work of the Union is continuous, but the priority always remains to follow the beliefs it holds. This is its philosophy, values, purpose and mission. The Union’s Beliefs are based on:
- Social Justice
- Equality of opportunity
- Free and decent living
- Work for all
- Right to free choice of employment
- Health and safety
- Stability at work
- Right to be represented by a Union
The Union was formed at the national level to unite the working class and to document the rights and dignity of its members and to ensure that these rights are properly protected. Moreover, the Union emphasizes that everyone everywhere should have all rights, including political rights.
Society
Society has no right to exclude any of its members, whatever the circumstances. In any society, the fundamental rights of citizens must be protected and everyone must be given their own space. The Union stands up for all citizens because everyone is equally relevant;
- Gender, creed, race, colour, religion
- Social freedom – a way of life
- People with disabilities
- Young people
- Those who are in the wrong
Education The best investment
The goal of education should be to bring out the creativity of every individual. Education has no boundaries or barriers and is the best investment a country can make. Education should not be limited to a class in a school that prepares students for the workforce, adults also have the right to study. The GWU has always believed that education should be the vision of tomorrow’s country and was the first Union to urge that children of workers should have the opportunity to study and further their education. Today, more than ever, the GWU believes that continuous personal development and lifelong learning are essential for the development of society.
Furthermore, the Union is the agency for education in civil society and is responsible for educating Maltese society on all socio-economic issues.
Health Natural Law
Health is a right of society to every citizen. Health means not only cure but also prevention from some accidents, including at the workplace. The state has a duty on behalf of the people to provide free health services to all citizens. Workplaces must provide effective protection for workers according to the nature of the work;
- Health and Safety
- Risk study
- Accident care
- Regular inspections
- Information about hazards at work
- Free time for all workers
The Environment
The environment belongs to everyone and directly affects the quality of life of every citizen, just as it is affected by all our bad actions. A good environment is valuable for both present and future generations.The GWU works continuously to regulate the work of the country on basic principles;
- Disciplined use of environmental resources
- Working to prevent rather than solve problems
- Everyone has a responsibility to protect the quality of life and the environment
- Every individual should be aware of the risks
The family The foundation of society
Families are the foundation of any society and the health of families is the future. That is why families need appreciation and recognition, that is why it is important for society to understand each family. The GWU is committed to work-life balance because it believes that children are the future of society and suffer the most when the balance is missing.
The Union is working hard to change the norm;
- Urgent Family holidays
- Reduced working hours
- Flexibility in hours
- Right to parental leave.
- Maternity protection
- Annual leave
- Increased leave when a public holiday / National Holiday falls on a weekend.
- Leave for medically assisted reproduction.
- Right to inform and offer consultation for employees
The union is currently working to further improve the lives of members and employees:
- The right to opt-out of work-related issues (#therighttodisconnect)
- Equal Treatment in employment
- The work-life balance policy
- Living wage
- Pay transparency
- Gender pay gap
- Mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on employees
The workers In a society
Workers create wealth in society and should have the right to speak about how wealth should be distributed. Citizens are at the heart of a democratic system and without full participation, it will not be properly designed. The role of the union is to work to ensure that every society has one;
- Democracy
- Social Partnership
- Participating citizens
- Active consumers
Economy
Balance is important in any economy so that no one is overburdened. The market, the state, the public sector and the private sector all play an important role in the economy, and the participation of the social partners ensures that it continues to flourish.
Apart from that, the worker is the framework for the economy and the wealth that is generated. The internal market depends on its expenditure, which is why the Union believes that it goes against all sense of social justice for the burdens of the economy to be borne mainly by the workers, who rely only on wages and salaries.
Work The right of every worker
Work gives dignity to man, and the task of any government must be to continue to create the works.
The GWU underlines that:
- There must be serious planning and agreed on strategies to keep creating jobs
- Works must be supported
- Work should always be for people and not the other way round
- All forms of sexual harassment must be discriminated against
- Any new form of work should be analysed to create conditions, rights and obligations of employees and employers.
Old age
Life does not end with retirement. Society wants to value the experience of its seniors, to give them a chance, because even if they are no longer in the workforce, they should have a chance to be active in society. The greatest appreciation society can give to its seniors is to protect them and maintain their standard of living.
