Workers in Malta should retain the right to choose whether they want to work extra hours and this decision should not be taken by their unions and neither should their right be forfeited by removing the opt-out clause, Confederation of Maltese Trade Unions general-secretary Anthony Micallef Debono said yesterday.

In a letter to Catelene Passchier, confederal secretary of the European Trade Union Confed-eration, Mr Micallef Debono said that while strongly believing that workers should retain the right to choose whether they wanted to work extra hours, the CMTU was also in favour of and has always been at the forefront of protecting workers from adverse health and safety risks associated with very long hours of work.

Mr Micallef Debono said the European Parliament’s first vote to drop the highly controversial opt-out clause in the EU’s Working Time Directive has stirred a great deal of sentiment in Malta. He said the CMTU agrees with such principles but at the same time insists that, considering the particular Maltese scenario and the present economic and social situation, an opt-out compromise is the best solution. Workers, especially in certain areas, should avoid working long hours as fatigue and loss of concentration could lead to the risk of industrial accidents.

“It is in the interest of all primarily to protect the workers’ health but Malta, among other countries opposing the scrapping of the opt-out clause, has valid reasons for wanting to maintain flexibility in working hours. Malta wants to continue to move in the direction of competitiveness and sustainability. In many EU countries, workers do not have to resort to overtime work as their salaries and pay are adequate enough that their standard of living is such that they can choose to stay away from extra work. This is not the case in Malta as the standard of living is much lower than that of a number of EU countries. The move to scrap the opt-out clause is also likely to generate a great deal of opposition because of economic and social restraints,” he said.

Mr Micallef Debono said the CMTU insists that the individual worker should have the right to decide whether he or she should work extra hours. However, employers are to make sure that workers who opt to work longer hours are protected and that there are no serious risks to their health and safety, he said.