The day dedicated to workers was celebrated yesterday – and although the circumstances that had originally led to its setting up are no longer valid today, such a remembrance offers the opportunity to analyse the advances that have been made, and the need to preserve what has been achieved, while at the same time not forgetting that workers, apart from rights, also have duties and responsibilities.

In Malta, the Nationalist Party no longer feels the need to organise mass manifestations to mark Worker’s Day. Instead, it holds a conference that discusses employment and at the same time marks the fifth anniversary of Malta’s membership in the European Union.

For its part, the Malta Labour Party kept up the tradition of holding a demonstration and mass meeting in Valletta.

At a time when the economic situation is not rosy and the financial difficulties that have gripped the globalised world are having a great effect on our way of life, it is imperative that a stronger effort is made to safeguard employment.

The government has realised that the situation warranted a certain kind of intervention to stop companies from dismissing workers or, worse, to close shop. As Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said earlier this week, the strategy has so far proven to be successful and it will hopefully provide a competitive edge for Malta once the economic crisis subsides.

This will come through the shoring up of companies to be able to take advantage of the surge in orders once the situation improves.

Worker’s Day is a celebration of the better conditions that employees obtained throughout the years, mostly thanks to the work put in by their representatives – the trade unions.

Laws have been changed to protect the single employee, while the environment in which workers carry out their job, whatever that may be, has been considerably improved. Great attention is given to the health and safety of all workers – some more than others because of their type of work – although, of course, there is always something more that could be done.

But Worker’s Day is not just about rights and improved conditions of work. Worker’s Day is also a chance to reflect on the duties that employees have towards the entity that employs them, be it the government or a private firm. Workers know, or should know, that while it is their right to have a salary commensurate with their kind of work and respectable conditions of employment, they have to carry out their job to the best of their abilities each and every day.

There are many workers who understand the role they have to play in their company, and do all their tasks well, knowing that ultimately they stand to benefit if their firm makes a bigger profit. There are others who, on the other hand, believe that the more time they “steal” from their employers by doing nothing, the better.

Trade unions have their part to play in this regard. Their main concern is to negotiate for improved salaries and conditions, and to defend workers when it is felt that they are being trampled upon. But it is also the unions’ duty to see that the workers themselves give every cent’s worth of the salary they are paid.

Too often, the unions tend to ignore this function, and simply make exaggerated demands knowing that it is not possible for them to be accepted. Unions should understand that even they have to do their bit to safeguard jobs.