We have started another year, one that, like those that preceded it, will bring with it a number of challenges, wins and defeats, joy and disappointment, love and betrayal.
Many start the new year in a position they never thought they would be when they had started 2003. Some have become parents or know they will become parents, other have been promoted to a higher position or have found a new job; at the other end of the scale, some might have lost someone dear to them, or have had a poor year in terms of health.
To those who had a good 2004, may they be able to build on what they achieved in the past 12 months. To those who wish to forget 2004 as quickly as possible, may the new year bring with it fresh hopes and better luck.
Collectively speaking, 2005 will be a crucial year. We will carry forward many of the issues which have characterised the year that has just ended.
The first week of 2005 will already be crucial in some aspects. On Monday, the government will be meeting unions to discuss the renewal of the collective agreement for the public service, which expired yesterday. The two sides will be dealing with proposals the government has made and which the unions have so far rejected.
These include a proposed three-year wage freeze other than any established cost of living increases, the removal of pre-retirement leave and a reduction in overtime. The unions have already expressed themselves strongly against the above measures, while the government seems adamant to make the public service more efficient and, at the same time, reduce its expenditure.
One hopes that a compromise can be reached on the issue as quickly as possible.
On Wednesday, the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development will meet in a bid to resolve the impasse that emerged from the latest negotiations on a social pact.
The lack of agreement halted the whole process last year, with the government taking the bull by the horns to announce several measures in the budget that were welcomed by the employers but did not go down well at all with the unions.
The measures include the decision not to give extra days leave in lieu of public holidays that fall on a weekend. The government, as stated just before Christmas, is prepared to go ahead with changes in the law to go ahead with its plans, however it is leaving the door open for the social partners to come to an agreement before the bill is presented and passed in Parliament.
It will not be an easy matter. The General Workers Union, through general secretary Tony Zarb, has said that an agreement on the public holidays issue is “practically impossible”.
But the social pact goes beyond this particular bone of contention. There are other items on the agenda, and one hopes that all the social partners involved will see the whole picture, rather than their sectorial interests. The country needs a big push to come out of the difficult situation it is in, and everyone must contribute towards making this happen.
There are other items that will be tackled during 2005. The government has placed the country’s financial situation, the environment and education as the basis of its work for the new year.
There will then be other issues that will re-emerge from the past year – the smoking ban, eco-tax, the Mater Dei Hospital are just examples – and others that will come up as the year unfolds. In particular, the reforms in the pensions and health services will take a lot of space on the political agenda.
This year is also the first full year of Malta’s membership in the European Union. Although EU membership is a long-term investment, we all hope that, when we analyse 2005 in a year’s time, we would have seen more benefits.