Josef Bugeja, Secretary General of the General Workers’ Union (GWU), has addressed several key topics during his speech at the 113th session of the International Labour Organisation conference in Geneva.

The conference sets the international labour standards and broad policies of the International Labour Organisation.

In his speech, Mr Bugeja also reaffirmed the GWU’s commitment to combating the abuse of platform workers and addressing the injustices faced by those exploited by algorithms, denied basic rights, and underpaid.

“In Malta, we have seen these injustices in food delivery and transport up close,” he said.

“Workers faced precarious conditions, low and unstable pay, no protections, informal contracts and subcontracting that strip away rights” he continued.

He also said that the Maltese Government in collaboration with social partners, had introduced the Digital Platform Delivery Wages Council and Wage Regulation Order, a law aimed at granting clear employment status and minimum rights to platform workers.

“All platform workers, no matter how their labour is organised or facilitated, deserve fair pay, social protection, safe working conditions and the right to organise. We’ll continue to work hard to ensure these new laws are implemented, adhered to and enforced,” he noted.

However, Mr Bugeja added that even national economies had to address the growing inequality between soaring productivity and stagnated wages. The GWU Secretary General said that living wages and strong collective bargaining had to become the norm.

“Workers deserve a fair share of the wealth they create. Dignity, respect and fair conditions are not buzzwords – they reflect social justice, solidarity and our society’s values.”

Mr Bugeja also expressed his support for the Palestinian people at the annual conference. 

“I speak not only as Secretary General, but as a global citizen committed to dignity, justice and human rights. The atrocities in Gaza demand our full attention and urgent action. Over 54,000 Palestinians, 6,000 of them children, have been killed in indiscriminate attacks,” he said.

“Homes have been reduced to rubble, a nation to ash, and famine looms. Desperate civilians have been gunned down while queuing for food. This is not just war – it is a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing,” Mr Bugeja told the ILO Conference.