The UHM officially launched its “2015 People’s Social Vision” document last Wednesday, with the emphasis being on six facets of society which the union sees as lacking in “social dimension”.

At a business breakfast held at the Phoenicia Hotel, UHM general secretary Gejtu Vella criticised the government for the “little or no social consideration it is showing in its quest to meet Vision 2015 targets”.

“Education and health are just two sectors of the economy that we as a union think are lacking in social dimension. UHM also thinks that the function of the family in society needs to be strengthened, that democratic institutions such as the role of the Auditor General and the public broadcasting services (PBS) should be totally transparent, that the government should assist those who do not have the means or know how to purchase and use a computer, and that the government should provide incentives for those struggling to earn a decent living (such as immigrants) to have a better quality of life,” said Mr Vella

He added that in the light of the financial crisis, Malta and the EU’s attention focused on restoring and strengthening economies and promoting research and development.

“But at what cost? Are governments taking into consideration employees’ working conditions, income, culture, identity and social protection in all this?” he asked.

Education in Malta can be improved, according to the UHM, in three ways.

“The national curriculum should provide students with the opportunity to go on work experiences before finishing their tertiary education. Students should also make the most of various opportunities and do philanthropic work which would inculcate rich values for life,

“Furthermore, all employees should be entitled to a minimum of 120 hours paid study leave, spread over a period of three years, to attend additional courses that would better their working skills.

“This is an excellent incentive to improve the quality of lifelong learning,” Mr Vella said.

With regard to health, the UHM is proposing:

i) A public-private partnership between state-owned hospitals and private-owned hospitals to facilitate and address long overdue operations and surgery.

ii) Operations and surgery should start being performed at Mater Dei on a 24-hour basis, after consultation with all stakeholders

iii) New graduates in the medical field should give their services to the government for a defined period of three years, and it is the duty of the government to also provide them with better career progression and improved conditions of work.

The UHM called on the government to introduce more family friendly measures and proposed that “the government should introduce a tax relief benefit to families for each child, and proposed a revision of school opening hours which reflects the needs of parents, students and protects family values”.

When asked to comment on how to improve transparency in Malta, Mr Vella suggested that much lies with the Auditor General, “who should have the power to refer to the police for further investigation where there are prima facie cases of abuse of public funds.

“It is unacceptable that people are called in front of the Auditor General only to remark that they have forgotten their involvement in the case they have been called to comment on, while on the other hand, all recommendations by the Ombudsman should be upheld,” Mr Vella said.

The UHM also suggested that the role of the Broadcasting Authority should refrain from trying to achieve a balance between politically or privately owned media and instead should use its professional and financial resources to guide and assist broadcasters to improve their quality and standards.