Dr Chircop said that when the government had taken the decision, it justified it by saying that it would increase Malta’s competitiveness. “I had warned the government it was mistaken in doing so. In fact, the negative tendencies that were present when the decision was taken are still being experienced,” he said.

Dr Chircop said that the latest Central Bank Report and the Labour Force Survey show that the level of unemployment in Malta was still on the increase.

He said that a decision by the ILO this week, after an application put by the General Workers’ Union, condemned the Maltese government’s decision and warned that the amendment to Malta’s laws in this regard breached Convention No. 87 that deals with Freedom of Association and Protection of Rights to Organise as well as Convention No. 98 that deals with the Right to Organise and Bargain Collectively. Malta has ratified both of these conventions.

He urged the government to conform with the ILO’s recommendations and pledged that a Labour government would re-instate all lost public holidays.