Albert Fenech argues that business breakfasts do not generally tackle the problems of manufacturing industry realistically. The simple truth is that the whole basis of our philosophy is wrong; yet how can it be changed if our role models are the very ones who are stunting our philosophy

I trust that the passage of time has enabled the Maltese Public to forgive BBC Prime Commentator Sir Terry Wogan for being silly enough to question whether the sun was still shining in Malta at 11.30p.m. on a May evening. The chance remark made by Moira whatshername (you will have to forgive me not knowing this detail because I never watch any Maltese television so I cannot be expected to be conversant with the names of all the mega-stars that appear on our little screen), had Wogan spluttering into his microphone.

He cannot be blamed for not knowing that the sun has been shining constantly in Malta since we gained our Independence in 1964. In the old days the sun never set on the British Empire. In contemporary days, the sun has never stopped shining on Malta.

It shone from 1964 to 1971. It shone more brightly from 1971 to 1987. It shone even more brightly from 1987 to 1996. It then shone positively brightly for a brief 18 months, but since then, to-date, it has been brilliantly glittering, a diadem in the universe, a beacon in the cosmos. However, as Terry Wogan is not entirely au courant with Malta, he was not to know about this state of glittering radiation.

Our politicians from both sides of our House of Representatives will of course put him right on this one as they are always extolling brilliant sunshine. Indeed, if one were to believe their rhetoric, the sun even shines out of our….well….backsides. The only debateable factor is which set of politicians actually rules the House on the day. In this case, the sun shines brilliantly on one side. On the other side, it’s thunder and lightning, gloom and despondency.

Perhaps that is why we have never actually been able to move our mentality forward to any extent. Still, it’s not as if the public really minds about this state of animated suspension. Roman Emperors had the right formula when they pioneered a policy of bread and circuses. Give the public enough of either, and they will go to bed contentedly and happy.

This chain of events came to mind recently when I attended one of the many “breakfast seminars” that nowadays seem to be the order of the day in the world of Maltese business and commerce. Why this should be so (the breakfast element that is), beats my comprehension.

Is it because at that time of the morning our brains are more receptive to information? Or is it perhaps that “busy” business brains have more time to spare at the beginning of the day? Or is it because breakfast seminars are now the rage and of course we have to, simply must, copy everything that other people do?

Anyway, this particular seminar dealt with the future of manufacturing industry in Malta. Does it have a future? Do we want it to have a future? All kinds of verbiage and theories came forth. It was however very noticeable that actual representation of those present actively involved in manufacturing industry was sparse in number and the majority were from Government-inspired, motivated or sponsored bodies (this is mentioned for the satisfaction of tax-payers so that they know that the tax they are coughing up is being put to good use).

To crystallize all that was said is not necessary because – in theory, and on paper, and in discussion – we knew it all already. We have to look at the past to anticipate the future. We have to plan ahead to gauge the development of the future. We have to dovetail our educational systems to meet our human resource needs and requirements. We have to have more cooperation. Manufacturing industries must talk to each other. The unions and industrialists have to talk and cooperate. The Government has to cooperate with unions and industrialists.

And so on, and so forth. Cant, cant and even more cant.

Thus, we munched at our croissants, sipped our tea and coffee, nodded and shook our heads appropriately as prompted and in this manner passed a comfortable and secure two-and-a-half hours and went away very happy. It all reminded me of the social pages of our newspapers 40 and 50 years ago when each and every exciting happening on these islands was rounded off with the stereotyped finish of “and a good time was had by all”.

So now, let’s get down to brass tacks.

This is a country that is deluged by cronyism and nepotism at the inspirational base of which politicians hold a very powerful position. More often than not, their sole interest in manufacturing industry is to ensure that their constituents are pushed into employment of some capacity so that on election day they will put their number ones and twos in the right box, and hopefully they will induce their families to follow suit.

At the other end of the scale, if a manufacturer tries to prise an employee out of employment for any kind of misdemeanour, they have to face a backlash of political and union intervention, lawyers and legal intervention, directors and formulators of “social policy” and in some cases, ultimately a tribunal. That is the real state of affairs.

However, the greatest interference and intervention comes from politicians, or their lackeys in office – the latter being the more distasteful. This is because lackeys are hangers-on and creeps, assuming the powers of their masters and indeed usurping the powers of their masters. I am sure you know the kind, like secretaries to managers that exploit their position for all it’s worth and push their manager’s name to the forefront as a “threat” that if they don’t get their way, they will have to “report” to their manager.

Lackeys in political offices react in much the same way and as in this country you can hardly put a foot forward without the help of some kind of politician or other, appeasement is normally the best policy – and therefore the lackey is given even more political clout.

But it’s not only politicians and lackeys that are jeopardising manufacturing and every other type of industry in Malta – it is very often the employees themselves, and the structure of the philosophy of employees who bring an enormously negative baggage with them. Sadly, this negative baggage if often countenanced by politicians themselves.

Last year statistics were issued to underline the astronomic figures of absence from our schools, mostly through “sickness”. Hundreds of thousands of schooldays were lost. This philosophy is then transmitted onto the shop or office floor because it has become a culture to be “sick”, to suffer a “depression” and have other ailments that sap away time.

Another negative baggage philosophy is another contemporary culture – that of pure enjoyment. We are put on this earth to enjoy ourselves, to have lots of money in pocket without actually having to work for it and to ensure that “from the cradle to the grave” philosophy guarantees that every year I shall receive a rise in wages because the Government says so and I should receive another increase in wages because my union says so.

When a manufacturer tries to encapsulate these increases with a necessary increase in production as an offset to rising costs that are crippling competitiveness, there are blank looks all round. Working harder? Concentrating more on the job? Producing more at less cost? These are all very foreign connotations. Where do manufacturers get such nonsense!

The general philosophy is to work as little as possible without being detected as being lacking in drive or motivation and this often translates into childish and immature stuff, like taking a break of 35 minutes when it should be 30 minutes; like taking it easy when the supervisor is not present, and then straightening up when the supervisor hangs around.

This is the immaturity of irresponsibility, the philosophy of a game in which I cut all the corners and it is up to you to catch me if you can – the mentality of school children.

Above all is the general rule of “omertà”, the mentality of seeing nothing, hearing nothing, saying nothing. Why should I be the one to tell? It’s up to the management to find out and it’s up to “us” to obstruct them and make sure they don’t find out.

Then there are the actual behavioural problems that underline the concept and outlook of the philosophy of numbers of employees. As many (probably all) manufacturers will attest, these problems are the most astonishing and crippling. Like excrement being smeared on toilet walls, like employees urinating on the floor instead of into the water closet, like employees stuffing several rolls of toilet paper into water closets to block them. These and many more – behavioural problems that are not known to the general public, but are very well attested to by manufacturing managements.

It’s not all negative though – there are positive sides too. Maltese workers can be hard-working – and many are. Maltese workers are also generally very clever and adapt to new ideas and innovations instantly. They often have to suffer from bad management, ineffective and ineffectual middle management and fumblingly ungracious senior management who posture that their position has been inherited from God. These too are negative baggage that hamper and often castrate a manufacturing philosophy.

None of these points were mentioned over our croissants and coffee. It was all gilt-edged stuff with looking forward and looking back, planning and innovation, cooperation and knowledge-sharing. Did I make the effort to bring a touch of realism into the proceedings?

The answer quite simply is “no”. I have been in the manufacturing and services sphere since 1975, have heard enough twaddle to last me more than a lifetime and know full well that any intervention is not going to correct any situation.

The simple truth is that the whole basis of our philosophy is wrong and unless we change this philosophy from grass roots it will continue to be wrong. It has to be changed in our schools and in our homes. Yet, how can it be changed if our role models are the very ones who are stunting our philosophy?

So there you have it Sir Terry Wogan. Of course the sun still shines in Malta at 11.30 in the evening. As long as we put the Eurovision Song Contest at the very top of our priority list, and as long as we have our festas, bread and circuses, we are all very happy in the knowledge that the sun never sets on our little Don Camillo empire. The rest is all very academic.

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