The government's responsibility is to find a balance between the rights of workers and the productivity of employers, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue Andy Ellul said in response to a question from The Malta Independent regarding the government's position on the four-day work week proposed by Opposition Leader Alex Borg.
Ellul said that things in the world of work are done in a studied manner with social partners and all concerned parties. He commented that the government's responsibility to find a balance is why €100 million has been invested in the budget for the benefit of employers so that they can make technological investments.
He stated that, as the Parliamentary Secretary responsible for social dialogue, he cannot disregard any call which could strengthen the job market in Malta. With that in mind, he remarked that the idea of a four-day week was not invented by Borg, but rather has long been proposed by unions in Malta, as he added that the unions have proposed it in a "structured manner".
Ellul commented that Borg talks about a four-day week but does not explain how it would function. "He provides no details, and things in the job market need to be done responsibly so that every law and measure that we introduce leaves a concrete effect and meets the needed balance," Ellul said.
The Parliamentary Secretary was also asked if the government is considering incentives to private companies so that, where possible, employees could work from home for at least one or two days a week.
In response, he said that next year the government will begin a process of structured dialogue to introduce the concept of remote working in a holistic manner. He added that the dialogue would be with everyone in the country who can and wishes to contribute, and not only with social partners.
He remarked that this ties in with the right to disconnect, because if one is working away from the office, then they also cannot remain connected either. He said that it is important that the right model is found for Malta which applies to the job market.
The Malta Independent also spoke with Social Policy and Children's Rights Minister Michael Falzon.
In its reaction to the budget, the Malta Employers Association lamented that the government did not address 'fiscal anomalies' that discourage people who have accumulated enough social security contributions to retire at 61. With that in mind, Falzon was asked why the government does not change its policies in this regard, and was also asked if doing so could help with Malta's human resources.
The Social Policy Minister responded by saying that the government not only looks at anomalies, but also corrects them. He continued that this is the third year that the government is correcting "an obscene discriminatory measure taken by the nationalist administration in 2006", where he said that the government at the time had split pensioners born before 1962 and after.
He said that there is an incentive for people who are 61 to continue to work, being that if they postpone their retirement, the pension goes up by up to 29% after three years. He added that almost half of all persons who have enough social contributions at the age of 61 continue to work to get a higher pension, but commented that there is nothing which would prevent the government from "taking it further" as other budgets come along.