With few exceptions here and there, local workers are motivated to perform conscientiously their duties at the workplace.

There is no dillydallying. This is well recognised and credited by local and foreign entrepreneurs. This is a fact. On top of this, many workers make every effort to improve their take-home pay. Many workers in the private sector take various training programmes to gain a financially rewarding employment opportunity.Others strive to climb the career ladder with their hard work.  Unfortunately, in the public sector, it is different, a handful bypass the normal meritocracy procedures and earn a politically motivated appointment. Many loyal public sector workers are left with no job satisfaction.

The terms “better quality of life” and “higher standard of living” are used frequently by the three social partners. Similarly “competitiveness” is a term which is a decades-old debate with many cogent views. These terms have to be taken into context to make sense. It would be wrong to take these terms in isolation. A backdrop may help people understand  these terms better. Similarly,“work-life balance” is another term which gained momentum as measures were gradually introduced in various places of work.

These terms have a pivotal characteristic in the labour market and on workers’ take-home pay.   

The reduction of the water and electricity tariffs, the PL proposal, by an average of 25%  for households, played a significant role during the last electoral campaign. The proposal has been implemented and now we can measure the rate of success achieved or otherwise. This proposal dovetailed neatly in the “better quality of life” and “higher standard of living” terms. Malta’s competitiveness should be reviewed once the reductions in the water and electricity tariffs are reduced for industry in a couple of months. Hopefully, this will not have the same negligible effects like those received by workers and pensioners.

People were promised that the reduction in the water and electricity tariffs would lead to a higher real income and a higher purchasing power.The employment figures published by the National Statistics Office clearly show the opposite. Workers are short on cash, notwithstanding reductions in the tariffs.

The gainfully occupied population statistics, published last week by the NSO, showed positive trends, however some figures must be properly analysed as these can easily give a distorted picture.

Indeed, the gainfully occupied population figures for August 2014 increased by 3.7% when compared to the corresponding month in 2013. During the period under review, registered part-time employment as a primary job rose by 8.6%.The number of full-time gainfully employed increased by 5,871. The private sector created 3,793 productive new jobs. The public sector increased by another 2,078 persons.

In August 2014, collectively, the private sector had 120,668 persons in full-time employment on their pay-roll, while the pay-roll of the public sector reached 44,066 persons.

In addition to these figures, the number of part-timers who also held a full-time job in August 2014 sprouted and reached 24,841 persons from 23,339 persons in August 2013; a 6.4% increase or an increase of 1,502 persons in twelve months.

At a glance, this may look very positive but when this figure is put into proper context and dissected objectively, alarming facts emerge. Primarily, this figure means that more workers are not making ends meet and are therefore having to take part-time employment in addition to their full-time employment to support their daily needs, notwithstanding the tariffs reductions. This is indeed a matter of concern.

Social scientists, economists, experts and consultants should delve into this and make recommendations to political parties, which in turn should place this issue high on their agenda. The other social partners have this responsibility to shoulder and their input is equally important. Lobbyists with a pass to roam the corridors of power, with the aim to influence political decisions, should be kept at bay and not allowed to manipulate figures for political mileage. 

The introduction of the wide range of work-life family balance measures cannot come to fruition if more workers will have to seek part-time employment in addition to their full-time, to financially sustain their needs.  It is very clear that the reduction of the water and electricity tariffs for households did not achieve higher purchasing power for workers and pensioners, although many believed that this measure would bring more cash to their pockets.

In most cases, workers do not take part-time employment in addition to their full-time to save money for a rainy day or to go out for a pizza on Saturday. It would be for much more pressing needs.