My candidature for the European Parliament

I have been involved in politics ever since I was a young man. I was politically active at the Drydocks, where I used to work. I was politically active when Super One was opened. I was politically active on a local level as Deputy Mayor of Saint Julian’s, and then as an MP. Politics is in my blood. I’m proud to be a full-time politician.

Politics means being of service to others. That is the belief I cherish. When I was a young boy, I was unlucky, in the sense that my mother got ill and I had to spend a lot of time away from her. In this unfortunate situation, I was lucky to have been raised by the Fra Diegu Sisters. My experience there with the nuns and the other children instilled in me a sense of values and a sense of service towards others. That is what pushes me on in politics.

I take this vocation very seriously. I am using the experience I gained as an MP in the Maltese Chamber of Deputies. I am also studying for an LL.M. in EU Law with the University of London. I intend to be of service to the Maltese people in the most serious and responsible of manners.

The parliamentary seat I ceded to the PL leader

I think it is pretty self-evident that if I hadn’t ceded my parliamentary seat and if I were still a member of the Maltese Parliament, I would not have considered the MEP option. I decided to take this step because I am no longer an MP. The rules are that you cannot be both an MP and an MEP. You are either one or the other.

Should there be rules on financing EP elections?

When raising funds for campaigns, we Labourites are always at a disadvantage. The reason is quite simple. We are the party that represents the working classes and the middle class. These are classes that do not have access to big money. The other party has the privilege of being the pet of “those who can open roads in the sea”, as we say in Maltese.

I think Alternattiva is in a situation similar to ours, though not identical, for reasons that are well known.

It follows that it is in the interests of the less privileged classes to have rules. We can’t keep on having the workers and the self-employed always at a disadvantage. We can’t keep on with a situation akin to the law of the jungle because the system favours the rich. We need to have more justice, and to understand that the less financially endowed deserve dignity and respect.

How I can truly be the workers’ voice

My aim is to safeguard the interests of all Maltese and Gozitan workers. Together with the European Socialists we have to make sure there is growth in employment in Malta and Gozo. We shall be proposing a European pact for the future of employment to increase employment opportunities. We have to make sure that we obtain the maximum benefit from the European Social Fund, established by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, to help the unemployed be integrated in the employment market and to ensure that they are given the competences and skills they need to succeed in life.

We must always be ready to cap EU finances for Maltese workers who have lost their jobs. Hadn’t it been for Dr Joseph Muscat who called for government action to cap finances from the European Adjustment Fund, the Nationalists would have stayed in slumber land when 650 workers were sacked from the textile industry. The European Adjustment Fund was established in 2006 and began to function in 2007.

My intention is to support fully the European Socialists’ proposal to finance a Competences Programme by way of the EU budget, to train workers for the jobs of the future – green jobs – in the renewable energy sector. Other European countries are creating jobs in this sector, and we should follow suit for the benefit of our workers.

That’s how to be the workers’ voice.

What I think about the

working time directive

limiting the working week to 48 hours

The Council of the European Union supports the provision found in the present Directive whereby member States may opt out with regard to the 48 hour maximum for the working week. Nevertheless, the European Parliament is objecting to this and wants the opt-out removed. In fact, last December, 421 out of 705 MEPs voted against this clause.

In this case, I subscribe to the Council’s position. I am not in favour of any limitation to the number of hours workers may work, particularly in this moment of crisis. A revision of the working time directive should allow opt-outs so that workers may, if they wish so, work even more than 48 hours a week. Flexibility is of the essence at this time of financial crisis characterized by the credit crunch. Workers should have the choice to earn more.

I am in favour of the opt-out clause, which allows member States to go beyond the eight-hour weekly overtime limit. I shall be insisting in the European Parliament that Maltese and Gozitan workers be allowed to work more than eight hours overtime if they wish so.

My thoughts on the 20-week maternity leave proposal

The European Commission’s proposal is to increase maternity leave to 18 weeks. According to current EU legislation, maternity leave should be at least 14 weeks. A European Parliament Committee has agreed to a number of amendments increasing the minimum maternity leave to 20 weeks. The Committee for the Rights of Women has adopted the report drawn up by Socialist MEP Edite Estrela, which extends the duration of maternity leave to at least 20 weeks.

Yes, I am completely in favour of this proposal.

It is worth noting that the same European Parliament Committee has proposed the introduction of paternity leave with compulsory two-week leave on the birth of the child.

I am in favour of giving Maltese and Gozitan women a further six-week period of leave in addition to the 14-week maternal leave they currently enjoy. At the moment, men who become fathers are entitled to only two days parental leave on full salary. I agree with the European Parliament Committee’s proposal that fathers should have two weeks of parental leave on full salary.

What I think about illegal immigration

I have dealt with this issue at length in my electoral programme published on www.josephcuschieri.com I am of the firm opinion that unfortunately we, as Maltese and Gozitan citizens, carry the largest burden of the existing illegal immigration among the EU countries. Had the government not signed the EU Immigration and Asylum Pact, it would have sent a powerful message to the other EU member States. The EU Immigration and Asylum Pact does not oblige Member States to help Malta. Lawrence Gonzi and Simon Busuttil, among others, are satisfied with this Pact. I am not. The burden-sharing principle enshrined in the Pact is ineffective because the Maltese government was weak. The Gonzi government agreed to a voluntary and non-binding agreement.

The number of migrants Malta is hosting is too high

At this stage the Maltese government should go easy on some provisions of the Dublin II agreement such as the fingerprinting of all migrants.

Effectively this means that when a migrant leaves one country and is subsequently apprehended in another, the country of arrival will be unable to send him back to the EU country that he came from.

Malta should use its right of veto in the EU. The veto should be used even in areas that have nothing to do with illegal immigration, until the other EU countries listen and agree to change the rules. This is very similar to the way France acted to achieve the Luxembourg accords – the famous empty chair policy that blocked all major decisions procedures.

A few weeks ago, my friend and leader Dr Joseph Muscat discussed the above-mentioned proposals and incorporated them in a concrete action plan to tackle the problems of illegal immigration we are facing. The government is not heeding the proposals. I fully subscribe to Dr Muscat’s proposals. Moreover, in the European Parliament I will support all the proposals among which are:

• The Maltese government should establish an admissions policy whereby, for instance, children are not put in detention centres and immigrants are not grouped together. The government should also separate those who are expected to qualify for protection from those who are obviously unlikely to qualify.

• Migrants have to understand Maltese culture. They have to value our Weltanschauung and adopt our customs and standards. If they are not happy with our lifestyle, they may leave the country. Migrants should be told that they are expected to act according to the rule of law. Respect for authority and discipline in detention centres are paramount but unfortunately lacking. Migrants should be given proper education and respect for authority.

• A parliamentary committee should be established to discuss immigration issues with those involved in this sector including detention officers and migrants with a view to drafting regular reports on the state of play of illegal immigration in Malta. Reports should be delivered to the Maltese Parliament and, if need be, to the European Commission.

• Open centres are a burden on the Birzebbuga, Marsa, Safi and Kirkop communities. The government should help local councils in their endeavours to establish a normal way of life in the above-mentioned localities. It is unacceptable that residents are constantly fearful that migrants may escape.

What I think about Simon Busuttil’s ideas on illegal immigration

• Simon Busuttil’s views are not reliable. In his report he simply maintains the ineffective and fragile principle of voluntary burden sharing.

• I am against the vote for illegal immigrants. The Labour Party does not want to give migrants voting rights.

Mr Cuschieri is a PL

candidate in the European Parliament elections