Dr Sant challenged the Nationalist government to grab the bull by the horns and tackle the problem of unemployment rather than sweep the dust under the carpet. “The prime minister cannot just say that the last year was an exceptional one. People are not that interested in political manoeuvring and cutting of ribbons. They want too see some serious hard work to see the problem of unemployment tackled properly,” said Dr Sant.

He said the government should shift priorities from celebrating EU entry to tackle the unemployment problem. “And I will also ask the prime minister to stop talking and start doing something about the tourism industry.” He said that when he visited Valletta and spoke to shopkeepers yesterday, many told him they had spent lots of money on revamping their shop fronts to be more appealing for tourists, especially those from cruise liners. “But those tourists have stopped coming to Malta and the government has done nothing to address the problem,” said Dr Sant.

Concluding, Dr Sant said the problems Malta faces today are not just problems for one political party. “They are problems for the whole of Malta and Gozo. Come 12 June, we want to show that we will continue to do what we have always done, and that is to protect the rights and interests of the workers,” he said.