Suchergebnisse

The economy of Malta, heavily dependent on the services, could not remain unscathed from the adverse effects of COVID-19. The disruptions caused by this pandemic and the subsequent new realities in the world of work proved to be a testing ground for the social partners. Indeed throughout the pandemic, by being highly active at the level of tripartite national social dialogue, they attempted, and managed, to act as effective brokers about the measures and policies being adopted by government in its policies to cope with the nuances of the pandemic. The most vociferous trade unions were those representing the workers, who due to work-related social interaction, tended to be more exposed to the risks of infection. These comprised the doctors, teachers and nurses together with other hospital employees. In their actions and vocal protests these trade unions tried to assert their political weight by brandishing the professional know-how of their members and the high discretional power inherent in their work practices. ; N/A

The shift to a European model of industrial and employment relations during the first ten years of EU membership continued to gather momentum. Through the updating of the Maltese labour law in order to conform to the EU Directives, the Maltese industrial and employment scenario moved closer to the ideals of the European social model. Nevertheless, in the transposition of the EU Directives into Maltese law, little heed was given to the substantive features. Moreover the policy of abolishing all existent practices of workers' participation tends to diverge from the European social model. These are some of the visible fault lines in the bridges which have been built towards a more Europeanised system of employment and industrial relations. ; N/A

The following are summaries of the main industrial relations events that happened in Malta in 2011 and 2012 as reported in the European Employment Observatory. The events are listed according to the date in which they were published. ; N/A

This article examines the recent restructuring trend across Malta's public and private sectors. The government's intervention during the international economic crisis is discussed and questions are raised about whether such intervention should have been adopted earlier. The article ends by highlighting some lessons that can be learnt from the examined restructuring processes. ; N/A

Included table of contents, foreword and list of contributors. ; At the polls the Greens may not have succeeded in getting the necessary quota of votes to allow them to share power with the major political parties. Nevertheless they can be heartened by the fact that the principles underlying the policy of a green economy, which they have been vocally espousing since their inception, have seeped in mainstream politics. Indeed the focus on this issue marks a paradigm shift in the political scenario. ; peer-reviewed

The economic turmoil and the financial crisis faced by most of the European Union Member States can represent an opportunity to address the needs of the time by embarking on the ecological transformation of current production and consumption models in our societies. This transformation of the economy will entail a transformation of Europe's employment strategies. Many of the jobs which are likely to be in demand in the future may involve tasks and require abilities different from those being demanded today. This is why we have to discuss the needed changes to the labour force and to analyse the prerequisites for the creation of green jobs, as well as the characteristics of these jobs. The European Commission's "Europe 2020" strategy to create a smart, green, inclusive and high employment economy in the next decade is an ambitious project that could be successful if certain conditions are fulfilled. The competences of Europe's workforce must be enhanced through the appropriate educational measures. At the same time, the new impetus to produce higher quality, more innovative and sustainable products has to be embedded in a regulatory and supportive framework to remain competitive in the globalised market economy. ; peer-reviewed

His Majesty Dockyard, Malta Drydocks, 'It-Tarzna', and since 2003 Malta Shipyards, one particular enterprise has always been highly visible in the Maltese economic and political scenario. Since the year 2008 was an appointment with destiny for Malta Shipyards, this review focuses exclusively on the events unfolding in this enterprise that led to its privatization. ; N/A

Following EU accession in 2004, Malta had to harmonise its standards and practices with those of the EU. Developments in the Maltese Industrial Relations scenario of 2005 and 2006, the years under review in this report, have to be viewed within the context of the policy options which Malta decided, or was forced to adopt, in this harmonisation process. ; N/A

In 1990, the Maltese Government submitted its formal application to become an EU member. In the same year, an incomes policy - under the auspices of a tripartite forum (the Malta Council for Economic Development) - was set up to direct industrial relations towards a more consensual ethic. These two events occurred at a time when the liberalisation of the market, initiated in 1987 following the victory of the Nationalist Party (NP) at the polls, was gathering momentum. Concurrently, the intensification of international trade was obliging many governments to restructure their economies in line with the demands of a globalised market. The year 1990 thus seems to mark a watershed in the Maltese socio-economic scenario. This paper reviews the flash points of a decade when the Maltese labour market, either by default or by design, seemed to orient itself more towards European standards. ; peer-reviewed

The hi story of cooperatives is generally replete with references to the role played by support agencies in the promotion and development of the cooperative movement. The promotional exercise is very often directed at raising the consciousness level of the public about the principles of cooperativism, enhancing the image and viability of existing cooperatives and creating an urge to find gaps in the market where new cooperative ventures could be launched. The support consists in designing educational programmes, trying to procure financial and economic backing for cooperatives and providing managerial, audit, accounting and other consultative service. Political parties, trade unions, the Church and other social movements very often assume this catalytic role. To illustrate this point one may refer to the very effective strategies adopted by the Italian politial parties and trade unions in building a strong cooperative movement in Italy, the charisma of the Catholic priest who pioneered the cooperatives in Mondragon, Spain and the Quaker beliefs of Ernest Bader that inspired him to found the Scott Bader Foundation in Britain. The Maltese case study does not offer any such prototypes even though it is characterized by the emergence of social movements with their potential to mobilize people. The disposition of these movements to support the cause of cooperativism has been more conspicuous in words rather than deeds. The Social Action Movement - a body with close affinities with the Church and which was pioneered by a Catholic diocesan priest - initiated some ventures in this field. Nevertheless the Church with its powerful cultural position making it a special agent of moulding and reproducing specific values failed to formulate an action plan to promote cooperatives (Baldacchino 1990, p.105). Neither have the other social movements (trade unions, political parties) shown any serious commitment towards this ideal. The hi story of Maltese cooperatives therefore reveals a serious lack of infrastructure for a cooperative mode! and it was actually the state through legislation that has played the major role in the promotion and development of cooperatives. ; peer-reviewed

In every society, regardless of its political system, power tends to be concentrated in the hand of the few. The direct system of democracy of the ancient Greek city-states where every citizen was given the opportunity to participate actively in the act of governing over the centuries gave way to the doctrine of the divine rule of kings. This article concentrates on different forms of government and ideologies. ; N/A

The year 2021 was again dominated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 cases had been on the rise since July 2020, however the number of cases seen between January and March 2021 were amongst the highest recorded up until that point. The rising case numbers resulted in many non-essential enterprises being closed or having their business restricted by public health measures which were introduced in March 2021. Subsequently, many state measures introduced in 2020 which focused on aiding organisations with their liquidity and supporting wages were extended into 2021. As the COVID-19 vaccine program, which commenced at the beginning of 2021, and public health measures took effect, COVID-19 case numbers dropped and organisations were gradually re-opened between April and June. Subsequently, the Government announced plans to phase out support measures which aided with liquidity and wages by the end of the year, and introduced a number of new measures aimed at aiding organisations to-reopen or re-engineer. As the year progressed, the number of organisations making use of several support measures, such as moratoriums on loans began to fall, whereas unemployment in 2021 remained low and was lower than the rate seen in 2020. Thus, tangible signs of recovery were seen. Despite this, the aggregate level of economic activity remained lower than levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (Central Bank of Malta, 2021a). Despite Malta's vaccine program proving to be one of the fastest in Europe, and very high rates of uptake, the year ended with the state commencing a vaccine booster program and record numbers of COVID-19 cases, which statistically eclipsed anything that had been seen up until that point during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the record number of cases, the percentage of hospitalisation rates remained relatively low – a factor attributed to the high rate of vaccinated individuals – and the Government resisted calls from some social partners to re-introduce lockdown measures. A key support measure, termed ...

Issues related to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) form part of the domain of the trade unions, as workers' representatives, and of the employers who have to shoulder responsibility for what goes on at the workplace. The Legislative framework governing and regulating OHS practices in Malta assigns specific roles to the employers and to workers' representatives. How does this affect the psyche of the workers who ultimately are the main stakeholders in this issue? How are the provisions in the law being translated into practices and policies that affect workers' perceptions and awareness at the workplace? Are initiatives and measures being taken to raise the level of awareness and alertness about OHS issues among the workers? These are the main questions being addressed in this paper through a quantitative survey complemented by data emanating from interviews with three actors who play a leading role in this field. From the data that emanate from the empirical study the indicators are that, by and large, the employers are putting into practice the principles underlying OHS practices and overall they are conforming to the provisions of the OHSA Act regulating and governing OHS practices and policies. Indeed most of the employees do not believe that there is wide gap between the principles governing OHS and the practicalities at the workplace. The trade union however is not seen by most employees as being the focal point about OHS issues. What the data emphatically points out is the need to raise the awareness of employees to a higher level so as to make OHS measures more effective. ; peer-reviewed

Variable Pay Systems are usually negotiated at company level in collective bargaining. The Malta Employers' Association is a fervent promoter of profitrelated schemes, arguing that wage increases should only reflect productivity, the competitive situation and labour market forces. On their part, Maltese unions are adamant on safeguarding the working conditions, especially the wages, of their members. However, in recent years, especially in the manufacturing sector, the General Workers' Union has adopted a moderate approach in its requests to wage increases in order to protect its members from the threats of redundancy. There are no recent government policy initiatives which directly promote wage flexibility or variable payment systems. ; peer-reviewed

In December 2008, the Malta Union of Teachers withdrew its membership from the Confederation of Malta Trade Unions. A rift was created when the union called for the setting up of a trade union council without previously presenting its proposal to the other unions in the confederation. Subsequently, relations became more strained when the union questioned the government's document on the revision of the utility tariffs, after the confederation had reacted positively towards it. ; peer-reviewed