<\/p>\n

GWU-Youths spoke to Josef Bugeja, General Workers\u2019 Union Secretary General, to learn more about the new proposals and how they can become laws.<\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Image: Josef Bugeja with (from left to right) Luana Cauchi, Samantha Mifsud and Jasmine Zahra, the GWU-Youths members who conducted the interview.<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

[dropcap]I[\/dropcap]n August the Equality Ministry introduced new work condition regulations. However, they were suspended<\/a> just days after coming into effect due to the pressure from employers\u2019 associations\u2014The Chamber of SMEs (GRTU), the Chamber of Commerce, the Malta Employers Association and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association. GWU-Youth spoke to General Workers\u2019 Union Secretary General Josef Bugeja to learn more about the proposed regulations and how they can be enacted.<\/p>\n

This interview is available in Maltese and English.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GWU-Youth: X\u2019inhuma l-erba\u2019 avvi\u017ci legali \u0121odda li \u0127olqu l-kontroversja?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josef Bugeja:\u00a0<\/strong>Dawn l-erba\u2019 li\u0121ijiet \u0121ew diskussi matul diversi perijodi, e\u017cempju wa\u0127da \u0121iet diskussa fl-2014, wa\u0127da fl-2016 u o\u0127ra fl-2018, u da\u0127lu kollha f\u2019daqqa fl-10 ta\u2019 Awissu.<\/p>\n

Wa\u0127da minnhom dwar l-Annual Leave<\/strong> hija dwar kif inti tkun tista\u2019 tu\u017ca\u2019 il-leave tas-sena ta\u2019 qabel li ma stajtx tutilizzah. Barra min hekk, kull impjegat huwa intitolat 192 -il sieg\u0127a leave fis- sena u min ma kellux ftehim kollettiv, \u0127afna drabi, l-img\u0127allem tieg\u0127u kien jg\u0127idlu li ma jistax jie\u0127u leave. L-img\u0127allem ma japprovahilux u s-sena ta\u2019 wara, jg\u0127idlu li l-leave mitluf u ma jistax jie\u0127du.<\/p>\n

Dwar it-Temporary Agency<\/strong> kienu qed jindirizzaw lakuni li qed jin\u0127olqu b\u0127alissa. Meta saret il-li\u0121i ta\u2019 Temporary Agency kienet li jekk hemm mara \u0127ar\u0121et bil-leave tal-maternita\u2019 kien hemm min \u0127adem minfloka. Kull xog\u0127ol g\u0127andu valur, u dak il-valur g\u0127andu \u0127las u l-\u0127las jie\u0127du kul\u0127add min jag\u0127mel dak ix-xog\u0127ol. Il-li\u0121i tat-2003 tg\u0127id li \u2018\u2019equal pay of equal job of equal value is with the same employer\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Transfer of Business <\/strong>hi li jekk ikollok sitwazzjoni fejn ikun hemm kumpanija wa\u0127da, tilfet l-offerta\u2019 tag\u0127ha, u flok il-\u0127addiema jg\u0127addu minn kumpanija A g\u0127all-B, jista\u2019 jkun li A u B jing\u0127aqdu flimkien u jsir C.<\/p>\n

Dwar il-Pejslip Dettaljata,<\/strong> l-pejslip ikun fija id-dettalji kollha ta\u2019 kemm t\u0127allast, g\u0127aliex t\u0127allast, xini r-rata\u2019 basika tieg\u0127ak, kif t\u0127allast, jekk kellekx overtime bis-sija\/sija u nofs, jew bis-sija\/sag\u0127tejn, xi \u0127lasijiet kien hemm ta\u2019 taxxa u assigurazzjoni nazzjonali, x\u2019\u0127adt leave u x\u2019fadallek, x\u2019\u0127adt sick leave u x\u2019fadallek. Affarijiet li f\u2019dawn il-postijiet je\u017cistu, i\u017cda fejn m\u2019humiex trejd unjini\u017cd ma kinux je\u017cistu.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

X\u2019\u0127a ji\u0121\u0121wadanja l-impjegat min dan?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L-obbligu tal-employer huwa li japprova l-leave tal-\u0127addiem tieg\u0127u i\u017cda m’g\u0127andu l-ebda dritt li meta jwaqqaf l-impjegat milli jie\u0127u l-leave dan jintilef. Jekk jsir dan g\u0127andhom jittie\u0127du a\u017c\u017cjonijiet u l-employer jinbidel minnufih. Dan g\u0127andu jkun ta\u2019 gwadan g\u0127al-impjegat g\u0127aliex jekk il-leave ma ji\u0121ix me\u0127ud kollu f\u2019dik is-sena, l-leave ji\u0121i mi\u017cjud mas-sena ta\u2019 wara.<\/p>\n

Wa\u0127da mill-erbg\u0127a li\u0121ijiet hija l-Annual Leave li fiha inattaw mittejn (200) sieg\u0127a minflokk mija tnejn u diesg\u0127in (192) -il sieg\u0127a leave, fejn \u017cdiedu min\u0127abba l-vaganzi pubbli\u010bi.<\/p>\n

Il-General Workers Union qab\u017cet g\u0127all-\u0127addiem biex issir l-\u0127tie\u0121a li l-\u0127addiem fil-pejslip jitnizzlu d-dettalji u l-informazzjoni kollha me\u0127tie\u0121a li tinkludi l-paga, ir-rata ba\u017cika tieg\u0127u, overtime, sick leave, overtime, national insurance u kemm titie\u0127ed taxxa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Min i\u0127addem x’livell ta’ poter g\u0127andu?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Illum -il \u0121urnata qed ng\u0127ixu f\u2019so\u010bjeta’ kbira b\u2019 \u0127afna organizazjonijiet b’vu\u010bijiet differenti. In-natura tal-kumpanija hija l-profit, pero’ bi \u017cmien da\u0127lu t-trejd unjins, fejn dawn jipruvaw isibu kompromes bejn l-impjegat u l-\u0127addiem biex b\u2019hekk it-tnejn jigwadanjaw. Hawn \u0127afna nuqqas ta’ \u0127addiema g\u0127ax-xog\u0127ol li hawn, allura l-\u0127addiema llum \u0121ew aktar importanti minn qabel.<\/p>\n

Ma jistax ikun li min i\u0127addem u dawk li j\u0127addmu, isabtu saqajhom g\u0127ax ma jaqblux ma xi \u0127a\u0121a , imma meta jkunu fi kri\u017ci ji\u0121u g\u0127al g\u0127ajnuna u meta jkun qed jag\u0127mel profit ma jag\u0127tix ka\u017c u jwarrab il-\u0127addiem. Hemm b\u017conn ta’ equal rights<\/em> kemm bejn min i\u0127addem u kemm bejn l-impjegat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

X’inhu l-impatt li dan g\u0127andu fuq i\u017c-\u017cg\u0127a\u017cag\u0127 li huma \u0127addiema?<\/strong><\/p>\n

B\u0127alissa \u017c-\u017cag\u0127\u017cug\u0127 qed jesperjenza din is-sitwazzjoni rigward dawn il-li\u0121ijiet. Fil-futur, il-\u0127addiema \u017cg\u0127a\u017cag\u0127 \u0127a jkollhom il-pejslip u kul\u0127add \u0127a jkun jaf li l-leave tas-sena ta\u2019 qabel mhux ser jintilef i\u017cda \u0127a jkun approvat g\u0127as-sena ta\u2019 wara. Huwa importanti li \u017c-\u017cg\u0127a\u017cag\u0127 t’issa, dawn l-affarijiet jfhemuhom ‘il ta\u2019 warajhom g\u0127aliex huma mhux ser ikunu esperjenzawhom. B\u0127ala kundizzjonijiet i\u017c-\u017cg\u0127a\u017cag\u0127 tal-futur ser ikunu \u0127afna a\u0127jar u g\u0127alhekk irridu nag\u0127allmuhom japprezzaw l-istorja ta’ kif waslu g\u0127andhom dawn id-drittijiet. Jekk dawn il-li\u0121ijiet jg\u0127addu ser ikunu ta’ reb\u0127a g\u0127a\u017c-\u017cg\u0127a\u017cag\u0127 tal-lum u t’g\u0127ada.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kif jistg\u0127u il-\u0127addiema jikkonvin\u010bu lil Gvern biex jappo\u0121ja l-interessi tag\u0127hom?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Il-Gvern g\u0127andu jsib bilan\u010b bejn l-emplojers u l-\u0127addiema fejn jara li huwa tajjeb ukoll g\u0127al-industrija. Dan jo\u0127loq bilan\u010b permezz ta\u2019 diskussjonijiet u jara dak li huwa \u0121ust g\u0127at-tnejn b\u0127al pejslip fejn \u0121iet ikattori\u017cata g\u0127al benefi\u010b\u010bju tal-\u0127addiem.<\/p>\n

Bilan\u010b ie\u0127or li huwa favur l-\u0127addiema huwa li f\u2019public holidays li jaqaw s-Sibt jew l-\u0126add ma jibenifikawx minn \u0121urnata leave. Il-General Workers Unjin qab\u017cet g\u0127al-\u0127addiem fejn stqarret li g\u0127andha ti\u017cdied \u0121urnata leave b\u2019hekk il-Gvern sab bilan\u010b u \u017cied \u0121urnata leave i\u017cjed fis-sena mal-kumplament tal-leave.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kif tista’ l-unjin telg\u0127eb il-lobbying ta’ min i\u0127addem \u0127alli il-proposti jsiru li\u0121ijiet? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tista’ tibda mil-lobbying sa kemm finalment b\u0127ala unjin tag\u0127mel il-protesti. Hemm diversi rwoli ta’ trejd unjin b\u0127al, tirrapre\u017centa l-individwu, tirrapre\u017centa grupp ta’ \u0127addiema, tg\u0127in biex itejbu l-kundizzjonijiet tal-\u0127addiema u jsiru protesti fil-pajji\u017c biex tinbidel xi \u0127a\u0121a. Issa dan jiddependi kemm wie\u0127ed irrid li jinbidlu xi affarijiet.<\/p>\n

Importanti li jsiru diskusjonijiet biex jaraw kif se jsiru l-affarijiet a\u0127jar. Importanti wkoll li dejjem timxi mal-ligi imma jekk int g\u0127andek dritt g\u0127al xi \u0127aga g\u0127andek titkellem u til\u0127aq kompromes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

GWU-Youth:<\/strong> What are the new legal advices that created the controversy?<\/p>\n

Josef Bugeja:<\/strong> These four proposals were discussed separately and for a long time: for example, one was discussed in 2014, another one\u2014in 2016, and another\u2014in 2018, but they were introduced together on 10th August 2018.<\/p>\n

One of them is about Annual Leave<\/em><\/strong> and how you can use the leave of the past year that you couldn\u2019t utilise. Every employee is allocated 192 hours of leave per year. Those outside of a collective agreement are frequently not allowed to take leave. The employer simply tells the employees that they can\u2019t take leave, doesn\u2019t approve it, and the year after the employees are told that the leave is missed and they can\u2019t utilise it.<\/p>\n

The second regulation is about the Temporary Agency<\/strong><\/em>. A woman on maternity leave is replaced by a temporary worker who will be doing her job. Every job has its own value and a certain pay rate. This rate would be given to the worker who is filling in for the one on maternity leave. The law of 2003 states that the pay for equal job of equal value should remain equal with the same employer.<\/p>\n

When we talk about Transfer of Business<\/strong><\/em>, we mean that when a company A loses a tender, it then has to transfer workers to a company B. Or the companies A and B merge and become company C.<\/p>\n

Finally, the other regulation is about receiving a detailed payslip<\/strong><\/em>. The payslip should include all the details: how much you got paid, what you got paid for, your hourly rate, the form of payment, whether you worked overtime that is between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes or between 1 and 2 hours, if any deductions of tax and to national insurance were made, how much leave have you have taken and how much you have remaining, how much sick leave you have taken and how much of it remains. These rules have already existed, but were not implemented in places which were not trade unionised.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is the employee going to gain from this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The obligation of the employer is to approve the leave of his workers; the employer has no right to keep the employee\u2019s leave. If this happens, further actions will be taken and the employer will be changed as soon as possible. This should be a gain for the employee because the leave that was not taken during the year will be added to that of the following year.<\/p>\n

One of the new four legal advice proposes to increase the Annual Leave up to 200 hours instead of 192 hours currently\u2014to make up for the public holidays that coincide with the weekends.<\/p>\n

The General Workers Union supports workers in their demand to receive a detailed payslip that states their pay, basic rate, overtime, sick leave and tax.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What level of power do the employers have?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nowadays, we live in a society with a great many different organisations and different interests. The nature of a company is to make profit, but the trade unions seek to reach a compromise between the employer and the employee so that both sides can benefit.<\/p>\n

Currently, there is a shortage of workers\u2014the demand for workers on the labour market is much great than supply. That means that today\u2019s situation is to workers\u2019 advantage\u2014much more than it was in the past.<\/p>\n

It is unacceptable that whenever employers do not agree with something, they halt the discussions. When they are in crisis, they tend to approach the workers and their representatives, requesting assistance. However, when they are making profit, they do not care and ignore the workers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What the impact does this situation have on working youths?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the future, youth workers will certainly benefit from the right of having a payslip. The situation with the leave from the previous year will also be clear\u2014the leave will not be lost, but added to that of the following year.<\/p>\n

It is important that today\u2019s youth workers inform the future generations of labourers about the struggle, since the latter will not be aware of it. The youths of tomorrow will have better working conditions and we must encourage them to appreciate the history of these laws. That is if these laws are enacted, they will be of great benefit to today\u2019s and tomorrow\u2019s youths.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How can employees convince the government to side with their interests?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The government should strike a balance between the employers and the workers to consider what\u2019s best for the industry at large. Such a balance needs to be reached through discussions that would establish the fair middle ground, such as, for instance, itemised payslips.<\/p>\n

Another move to achieve this fair middle ground, which benefits workers in particular, is to add one more day to employee\u2019s leave if a public holiday falls on a weekend.<\/p>\n

The General Workers Union stands for these proposals and encourages the government to find a balanced approach.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How can the union outweigh the employer\u2019s lobby so that the proposed changes become laws?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can start from lobbying and finish off as a union with protests. The roles of a trade union include representing individual workers as well as groups of workers. Our goal is to improve workers\u2019 rights\u2014that might induce protests, but this depends on how one wants to change things.<\/p>\n

It is essential that the dialogue continues so that the rules and regulations are improved. It is also important that we reach compromise by following the laws on the one hand and speaking for your rights on the other.<\/p>\n

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