Speaking at a press conference on the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza issue, Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Dr Harry Vassallo said the respect for the rights of residents and workers should not be casualties of any economic restructuring, particularly in projects involving the government.

“It is reasonable to expect the government to lead the way and to give an example to the private sector in mitigating the social, economic and environmental upheavals that can be expected in the restructuring of the economy,” Dr Vassallo said. “The purpose of any restructuring should be to provide a secure future and a better quality of life and any serious damage to any of these ultimate aims cannot be lightly dismissed in any attempt to achieve them,” he said.

“In the past 10 years, the only public land in Sliema, formerly an off limits British Army base, has been liquidated by the government without any consideration for the needs of the community and without any respect being given to site neighbours in Tigne,” Dr Vassallo said.

“The government’s abdication of its responsibilities is also affecting over a hundred workers. While the government boasts that it has made Lm23 million from the sale, it has not provided for the fate of over a hundred families involved. Workers were told that the transfer to the new owner would guarantee their jobs until retirement,” Dr Vassallo said. “It was too good to be true.”

“Workers who developed their careers to the highest levels in the catering and hospitality sectors have been transferred overnight to the construction sector. The guarantee of employment until retirement turns out to be a joke in bad taste” Dr Vassallo said.

“When a housekeeper becomes a security guard doing night duties outdoors with no shelter, it is clear that what is intended is that such employee is being forced to resign.”

Dr Vassallo added: “Had the woman been an animal, the government would ensure that her dignity was respected through the Animal Welfare Act. Because she is a former employee of a government-owned company, she is humiliated by her new employers and mocked by the government’s boast that it has seen to its former employees’ welfare.”

“When a head chef becomes a stone mason overnight, supervised by a junior member of his own staff and given a take-it-or-leave it option, he has been given no employment safeguard but deceived and humiliated. With no training, no safety equipment and no supervision, these employees have found themselves transferred to an industry known for its high health and safety risks,” Dr Vassallo said.

“Minister Austin Gatt may boast that he has bagged Lm23 million to make up for government squandering in the feel-good-factor years. He does not have a clue what it means to respect human dignity. Instead of being offered termination benefits, which would reduce the sum recouped by government, employees were told that their jobs were safe. Instead they have no termination benefits and are being manhandled out of employment through this deception,” Dr Vassallo claimed.

“The government has treated Tigne and Sliema residents in precisely the same arrogant manner. It has taken the money and left them to their own devices. In its deal it made no condition for the involvement of residents and site neighbours in the planning process of a major development on their doorstep,” Dr Vassallo said.

He added: “The Crowne Plaza development application has been split into two applications separating demolition from construction and eliminating the legal obligation for a proper public consultation process. It is another cheap trick, this time aimed at depriving Tigne residents and the Sliema local council of an opportunity to make their comments.”