The Problem of Precariousness should be a National Concern

Żminijietna – Voice of the Left states that Worker’s Day should be the day against precariousness. Many workers in Malta are employed under inferior work conditions, low wages, lack of training and job security.

 

The leftist organisation Żminijietna deems positive the Government’s efforts to address precariousness, but it insists for the introduction of a legislation that defines precariouness.

In fact Żminijietna disagrees with the Malta Employers Association defenition of precarious jobs that focus more on the abuse, rather than the quality of employment.  

 

“It is of concern the number of mostly foreign workers who are being employed under the temprarily agency worker scheme. These workers are facing disriminatory conditions with relation to wages, inferior conditions of work, and precariousness due to the fact that if they complain they end up being sent back home, without any rights”.  

 

Therefore, Żminijietna – Voice of the Left appeals to the Government to address precariousness in a serious way. Till now it seems that there is a lack of will. Many workers in the cleaning, security, care and domestic sectors are still being employed under precarious job contracts and conditions.

Żminijietna calls for decent jobs.

English/ Maltese Version.

Press Release: Żminijietna calls for decent jobs.

Żminijietna – Voice of the Left welcomes the decision taken by the government to initiate talks with Panta Lesco Group following the possibility that it would be laying-off about 70 workers. 

“The Government, together with union representatives should ensure that these workers find alternative employment with decent conditions of work and that re-training is provided if required. Decent Work is a globally accepted goal and an instrument for improving the lives of people”.

“With regards to their families and the financial situation, the government should ensure that these workers are given all the support if necessary and that the employer respects it's full obligations with respect to redundancy rights”.

STOP TTIP! - Local NGOs join European platform of over 400 NGOs in call for action against secret trade negotiations between the EU and the USA

On the occasion of the global day of action against TTIP, on the 18th April, a number of local NGO's, under the umbrella Social Europe - Front Against TTIP (Malta), that was formed in Malta last year, are calling upon all policy makers in both the public and the private sectors to unite to secure the interests of the local economy, which is based almost exclusively on the productivity of small and medium enterprises (SME's), as well as its environmental and social fabric, by ensuring that all trade negotiations being carried out between the EU and the USA are open and fully transparent, and that no stone will be left unturned to ensure that the fundamental principles of governance, transparency and environmental and social regulations upon which so much of the EU is built, are secured and maintained.

The Front said that it forms part of an alliance of over 400 civil society organisations that launched a European Citizens Initiative against the free trade and investment agreements TTIP (between the EU and the US) and CETA (between the EU and Canada). These are calling on the European Commission to recommend to the EU Council of Ministers to repeal the European Union’s negotiating mandate for the Transatlantic Trade Investor Partnership (TTIP) and to halt the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

The coalition refuses to accept that rules with far-reaching consequences for more than 500 million citizens in Europe are made behind closed doors. This is unacceptable and in blatant breach of fundamental European principles. TTIP and CETA primarily serve the interests of large multinational corporations at the huge expense of consumer protection, social standards, environmental regulations and food safety. They also threaten the fabric of SME's, by creating an unlevel playing field in the commercial sector which is weighted heavily in favour of multinational corporations.

The planned Investor state dispute settlement (ISDS), it continued, constitutes a very serious threat to democracy and the rule of law for the simple reason that it would make these multi nationals more powerful than the governments of sovereign states, allowing them to enforce changes in environmental and social legislation, and even to sue governments for hundreds of millions of Euros in damages on claims that such legislation may have affected the company's potential for profits. Such a treaty would not only put multinational corporate profits over people and SME's, but also over their democratically elected governments.

The European Citizens Initiative petition has already been signed by over 1.6 million European throughout Europe. The front is calling upon the public to likewise give its support by signing the petition at https://stop-ttip.org/. More information on the campaign can be obtained at https://www.globaltradeday.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/eci.ttip

Social Europe - Front Against TTIP (Malta) consists of the NGO's Żminijietna - Voice of the Left; Anti-Poverty Alliance; Moviment Graffitti; Association of Federative Socialists; GWU Youth, Friends of the Earth Malta; Partit Komunista Malti; Garden of Knowledge (Malta); ADZ - Green Youth; Malta Organic Agricuture Movement; Greenhouse; Gaia Foundation; Alternattiva Demokratika -The Green Party

Rodolfo Ragonesi
obo Social Europe - Front Against TTIP (Malta)

Press Release: Zminijietna against Corporatisation of National Healthcare

As a result of recent overtures made by the government about increases in the opening of public healthcare to the private sector, Zminijietna – Voice of the Left is highly concerned by the direction that national strategy in the health sector is taking, and believes that the government should act to prevent any more corporatisation of healthcare on the Islands.

In light of this, Zminijietna has stated that "any new involvement of the private sector in healthcare will lead to an increasing corporatisation of the Maltese health sector, to the detriment of the public, healthcare workers, and the universal availability of State health care services."

“The use of a public-private partnership model will result in the healthcare industry becoming an industry of simple profit and loss, reducing the quality of service given and its overall sustainability.”

“Various studies have shown that market directed policies do not necessarily reduce costs in, or improve, healthcare services, and such policies in the United Kingdom have led to an overall neglect of patient well-being. The changes being proposed are more in line with the motivations of politically influential minority interests and strategists, following the increasingly right-wing and neo-liberal direction being taken by the European Union, than they are with a genuine concern for the welfare of patients,” concluded Zminijietna – Voice of the Left.


21st March 2015

International Women's Day: Reaching Out to all Women in Society

According to Żminijietna – Voice of the Left, “women have come a long way, and International Women's Day is an opportunity to evaluate the achievements, rights, and economic and political participation of women in contemporary society. Such an occasion should also serve to encourage initiatives intended to promote these to aim to reach more women from all walks of life.”

On this occasion, Żminijietna also said that “women should continue aiming towards an equal society free from gender discrimination, better working conditions, and improvements in the reach and scope of social security rights, with a greater outreach in particular to those women who form part of minorities - such as single mothers, immigrants and widowers.”

“In recent years, women have become more present in the labour market and more financially independent. However, when it comes to employment, women are more likely to take up part -time employment - or interrupt their careers altogether - due to domestic matters such as sick parents. In addition, many are also being subjected to precarious employment conditions."

Żminijietna fully supports the several measures taken by Government to increase the family-friendliness of policy, which were responsible in part for the positive consequence of greater female participation in the labour market. Żminijietna would like to see such family-friendly measures incentivised in the private sector.  

Press Release 8/3/15

Minimum wage should increase

Żminijietna – Voice of the Left supports the declaration of members of the Nationalist party that any increase in indirect taxation contributes to a drop in minimum wage earners’ revenue.
 
“The same concern was raised by Caritas in 2012, in its report entitled ‘A Minimum Budget for a Decent Living'. Żminijietna appeals to the Government and the Opposition Party in Parliament to support Caritas's proposal for an increase in the national minimum wage”.
 
“Recent European Statistics also reveal that, in Malta, the minimum wage income is relatively low in proportion to the threshold most commonly used in Europe - that of 60 % of the median wage. In Malta it is still at 53%," stated Żminijietna – Voice of the Left. 

Press Release 6/3/15

MEPs must protect public from EU-US trade deal threat

Social Europe - Front Against TTIP (Malta)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FrontAgainstTTIPMalta/

Press Release 3/3/15

MEPs must protect public from EU-US trade deal threat

In an open letter sent to MEPs today 375 organisations - including trade unions, consumer, environmental, and civil rights organisations - from 25 EU countries, warn that TTIP could constrain democratic decision-making by strengthening the influence of big business and undermining public services, the protection of public health, the environment, food and workers' rights.

Read more at:

http://corporateeurope.org/international-trade/2015/03/meps-must-protect-public-eu-us-trade-deal-threat

Social Europe - Front Against TTIP (Malta) is one of the signatories.

In turn, the Front is made up of: 

Żminijietna - Voice of the Left; Anti-Poverty Alliance; Moviment Graffitti; Association of Federative Socialists; GWU Youth, Friends of the Earth Malta; Partit Komunista Malti; Garden of Knowledge (Malta); ADZ - Green Youth; Malta Organic Agricuture Movement; Greenhouse; Gaia Foundation; Alternattiva Demokratika -The Green Party