The next budget should not only be one without taxes, but should also introduce initiatives to help workers and provide incentives for employers, Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat told the GWU National Congress yesterday.

Dr Muscat added that it was a distressing time for workers who were facing a number of problems, such as the cost of living, which was a growing concern among workers. They felt that despite working harder, they were earning less.

The workers were ready to shoulder their own responsibility, but what they were not prepared to do was to pay for the mistakes of those who were meant to be leading the country, he said. These people had to be held responsible for the losses they incurred.

On a similar note, GWU president Salvu Sammut said the union had long been warning the government about the executive management of the Fairmount contract at Malta Shipyards. In the report issued by Price Waterhouse Coopers a week ago, it was revealed that the shipyards had made a e37 million loss as a result of bad management.

It was not right to try and blame the workers and the GWU, when it was common knowledge that the responsibility should land squarely on the shoulders of whoever was in charge, in this case, the shipyards’ executive management.

Mr Sammut said that each year there was a budget deficit, which in the long run served to increase the national debt. One of the reasons for this was the outsourcing of certain jobs to private companies, which increased the annual expenditure.

This did not leave enough funds for basic needs, like free medicines. Such a practice not only put down the morale of public service employees, but created an injustice for those who depended on this service.

It was not viable to keep taking on projects which were not of absolute priority to Malta, he said, especially at this time of crisis.

The GWU believed that the Maltese product had to be improved upon, so perhaps it may attract the more affluent tourist. Projects to restore Fort St Angelo, for example, were more of a priority than the Smart Meters project of Enemalta, which cost some e70 million.

Speaking of utility tariffs and other energy related costs, Mr Sammut said that contrary to other EU countries, Maltese consumers were paying more.

This did not only increase the inflation rate and reduced the workers’ purchasing power, but could also have reduced competitiveness. This was why, together with other unions, the GWU had put pressure for the revision of these tariffs.

If the issue of the shipyards had been administered in a professional manner, he said, many workers would still be earning their bread and butter from it, and Malta would have saved a great deal on those who were scared into accepting the Early Retirement Schemes.

It was worth noting that as the shipyards lost a lot of work due to privatisation, factories like Joinwell, which provided furniture for super yachts, had to decrease their workforce because of the way the privatisation was handled.

If the government employed some economising practices, not only would it not have to increase taxes and tariffs, but it would have the necessary disposable income to stimulate the economy in times of recession, Mr Sammut said.

GWU secretary general Tony Zarb said that the message the people were sending to the authorities was that they could not take it anymore. The union was extending an invitation to other organisations to work with it hand in hand in the interest of workers.

The government was burdening the people with its insensitive politics and ignoring the pleas of those who found themselves in difficulty. The GWU wanted to bring these complaints to the surface, and solve the people’s problems.

In his address, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that Malta had been identified as a country which invested heavily in the safeguarding of the people’s jobs, as this was in line with the people centred policy that the government believed in.

He added that at times the government had taken some difficult decisions, such as the introduction of the euro, which were good in the long run, and showed that it made the workers a priority.

After paying tribute to Reggie Miller, a pioneer of trade unionism in Malta, Dr Gonzi said there were three pillars which had to work together for the good of the workers, as the time of competing forces had come to an end. These were the government, the employers and the employees.

Dr Gonzi said that Malta’s small size was a definite advantage, as calling a meeting to discuss a problem was a relatively quick process.

It was important that the government and the unions continued to work hand in hand, he said, even if in some cases they grated on each others nerves, for the benefit of the workers.

Although unemployment could not be said to be low, at 7.2 per cent, it was below the average for the EU, which stood at 10 per cent, the PM said.

Dr Muscat said that it was important to realise that there was unity within strength, and the challenges the world and Europe were currently facing were similar to those that had been faced in the past.

The common factor in the past challenges was that they were tackled with unity, he said. Dr Muscat was proud to be leading a party which had been a protagonist when it came to overcoming the main challenges which workers faced.

Women no longer worried that they would lose their jobs, if they became pregnant, thanks to the movement of workers which managed to do away with the discrimination and to introduce the concept of maternity leave.

He was proud to be here, with a union which had introduced the possibility of workers uniting to negotiate and come up with a collective agreement.

For this reason, Dr Muscat said he encouraged more unity among workers. Dr Muscat said he dreamt of a day when such a congress would represent all trade unions, and all trade unions could speak as they wished, without fear of accusations of political bias.

It was not right that workers could not freely state which union they wished to ally themselves with, he said, and the laws had to be adapted to reflect current needs.

In his speech, Mr Sammut also referred to achievements made by the union. Despite the current recession, the GWU had succeeded in encouraging a trade unionistic mentality in places such as Maltapost and Malta Dairy Products (MDP).

If the industrial laws reflected the recommendations of the ILO and the majority of the workers, trade unionism would also gain prominence within the shipyard workers. It was shocking that certain sectors of the media had not done their utmost to bring forward the voice of these workers; rather they did quite the opposite.

Unfortunately it was the workers and Malta, not the GWU, which suffered as a result of this, as in the eyes of trade unions worldwide Malta was put on a par with third world countries. Furthermore the very existence of the GWU was under threat, with the seizure of millions of their liquid assets.

The government had to amend the industrial laws, to boost democracy in Malta and offer trade unions more protection, to fulfil their duties and avoid something similar happening again, Mr Sammut said.

As the largest union in Malta the GWU could not rest on its laurels, the GWU president said, but it had to continue on what their forefathers believed in when they set up the union 66 years ago, and to continue building on their achievements.

Mr Sammut said that if nothing else the recession had taught the government to be cautious when it came to spending public funds, to ensure the country remains competitive, and people are not burdened with extra expenses.

Mr Zarb said that over the years the union had withstood the waves which had crashed into it, and they were proud to have inherited an organisation built on such solid foundations. He encouraged workers to turn to the union for guidance and help.

When outlining the union’s priorities, Mr Zarb said that these included pensioners, all workers who formed part of some minority, the self employed, housewives and most of all youths, which were its future.

The five policy papers, which dealt with illegal immigration, equality at work, a wage policy, workers with different sexual orientations and data protection, approved by the GWU National Council were testament to the unions dynamism and showed that the union gave everyone space they needed.

Mr Zarb said the new union logo, issued last Friday, represented the strength and determination of the union. The union was also working on its statute, to adapt it to fit in with the demands of today’s world.

The challenges they faced were no mean feat, but the work had to be more concentrated so as to remain credible, competent and consistent.