Malta Chamber President Perit David Xuereb said that the building industry didn't only have a mountain to climb in raising the bar of quality and ethical standards, but it also needed to restore reputation with the people who most definitely demanded and deserved better.
The Chamber President was delivering his opening remarks at 'Dialogue with the Prime Minister' this morning, which offers the exclusive opportunity to Malta Chamber members to meet the Prime Minister and debate tangible and real issues that affect their daily operations.
Xuereb noted how the Chamber had already, over the past months, promoted and facilitated the introduction of the Considerate Contractor Scheme with the Authorities.
"The intentions of the Scheme, in fact, fell squarely in line with our 2014 Economic Vision document which advocated a high-quality economy," Xuereb said.
The unfortunate catastrophic series of structural collapses occurring adjacent to construction sites has mobilised a positive change in mindset that has motivated the beginning of an improvement programme that should have many stages yet to come, Mr Xuereb remarked.
While commending the Government's urgent action to impose a temporary moratorium on demolition and excavation works, Xuereb said that following the consultation process on the proposed amendments to the Avoidance of Damage to Third Party Property Regulations, the Malta Chamber was of the opinion that the Legal Notice, while being a step in the right direction was tackling this important matter in a piece-meal fashion in relation to the wider extended operational and regulatory needs of the Industry
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, speaking before facing questions from the room-full of businessmen and women, praised the Chamber’s strong position on the new construction regulations, saying that while there are things which must be clarified, responsibility must be there and the lines must be demarcated properly within the law.
Muscat dedicated his opening address on recent government reforms, touching primarily on the new rent reforms announced yesterday and on the recent launch of Malta Air.
On the rent reforms, Muscat said that they had been long coming and noted that they would bring more predictability to the rental market while it also works to be incentive-based as opposed to punitive.
On Malta Air, Muscat said that the government wanted to adopt a more holistic approach to connectivity, but noted that people must understand that the country is operating in a European context and that there was never anything stopping Ryanair from setting up an airline in Malta.
He noted that the government wanted to work with the Irish company and that they have a golden share so to safeguard the interest of the economy, before adding that he was positive that Malta Air’s business model does not create impediments to Air Malta but presents the national carrier with many more opportunities for synergies.
Referring to the macro picture, Xuereb meanwhile said that while the economy was generally doing well, the Chamber was noticing how certain sectors were growing at an exceptional pace, while others were expanding at much slower rate.
"These latter sectors which include manufacturing and retail are suffering a higher rate of cost-push inflation than their business can afford. The lack of available skills that we continue to experience is escalating this effect so the matter remains our top-most priority to tackle" Xuereb said.
The President then referred to a study on labour shortages carried out by the Chamber last year, which had concluded that the country had out-grown the Maltese labour supply and recommended sourcing of labour from abroad to meet the demand, and appreciated the fact that the government’s policies have been in line with this.
Speaking about compulsory Union Membership, Xuereb noted how the Chamber remained adamantly convinced against such a proposal, saying that it not compatible with the principle of ‘Freedom of Association’ as entrenched in the constitution.
"The Chamber prefers to remain working hard to attract membership to its fold on a voluntary nature and on the basis of adding value to our member's objectives and priorities."
Referring to the strains which state pensions were posing on public finances, the Chamber President reminded the Prime Minister how the Chamber had supported optional second pillar pensions.
Making a direct reference to Malta Air, the President chimed the Chamber's welcome to the newly launched Malta-based airline, yet he warned that the national airline's importance must always be protected and noted that the two airlines must not only live side-by-side with each other, but complement each other.
In conclusion, Xuereb noted how the Chamber was a strong believer in Responsible Entrepreneurship and said that the Chamber would continue championing the role, the interests and the reputation of the upstanding entrepreneur in our country because we believe that there can be no social model without enterprise and there can be no enterprise without profit".