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I would like to refer to comments made recently by Mr Anton Borg, President of the Federation of Industries (FOI) during the programme ‘Newsroom’ on Net Television.
Mr Borg was asked to give his comments on the much debated issue of public holidays falling on weekends. Mr Borg gave the impression that workers are only going to lose an average of 3.3333 vacation leave per year or 10 days during the next three years. This is not even half the truth, it is even worse; it is only a small part of the truth. Half-truths and/or small parts of the truth are worse than lies.
Mr Borg should have told Net TV viewers the whole truth. He should have told them that if an agreement on the Social Pact had materialized, the Maltese workers would have lost an average of 1.666 vacation leave per year or only five days during the next three years.
He should also have told the Maltese workers that public holidays falling on Saturdays and Sundays, in reality, are now lost forever. The situation in which we are in now, is only and only thanks to the GWU that abandoned the negotiating table within the MCESD.
On the contrary, without the Social Pact and because the government only gave heed to the employers’ pleas whilst ignoring those of the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, now the Maltese workers can say that the result of this budget is a nothing less than a reduction in the employees’ working conditions.
Angelo Vassallo
Marsaxlokk
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