On Thursday, the Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations Carmelo Abela together with Director General Diane Vella Muscat were the main guests of the first Q&A webinar organised by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry.

Minister Carmelo Abela showed gratitude for the effort of the business sector and their employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic. He also expressed his gratitude for the contribution of the Malta Chamber of Commerce to adhere to the social pact reached between the Government and Social Partners, especially the wage supplement during COVID-19.

Over 200 attendees coming from various business sectors participated and asked for guidance on issues related to conditions of employment throughout this pandemic.

Over 60 questions coming from the private sector including CEOs, CFOs and Human Resource Personnel were dealt and mainly focused on the different procedures to apply for permissions from DIER to amend conditions of work whilst adhering to the Employment Law. Emerging themes included forced leave, unpaid leave, reduced hours, reaching agreements with employees and quarantine leave.

During the session, Minister Abela took note of the employers’ concerns and assured them that the Government is monitoring the situation to assess the economic and employment impacts of the COVID-19 situation. He said that he is cognizant of the sacrifices made by employers of good faith to safeguard employment and employment conditions of their employees. He reassured them that the Government is doing its utmost by dedicating millions of Euros to be in a position to ascertain the wage supplement.

“We are one of the first EU member states not just to announce but to fork out the financial aid. I am grateful for this effort and in keeping to the social pact within the MCESD, especially in relation to the top-up on government aid.

“We are talking about people. Let’s be encouraged by our common efforts and their effect on the everyday reality of our workers. We know that you need to fork out money in this difficult time when you are experiencing less income from your own resources. Government indeed recognizes and appreciates this effort. However it remains our duty to ascertain that what we have agreed to is honoured from all sides,” said Minister Abela.

He added that when Malta looks at its own package as a country it compares well with other EU member states and indeed globally. In his own words, “maybe it is not enough for some, but when we consider all the initiatives, definitely we need to be satisfied, especially when we compare ourselves with others”. He acknowledged that the Government needs to be on the lookout and aware of the difficulties that the opening of shops created for shop owners and employees.

“The gradual re-opening is positive and a first step towards normality. However, we are conscious of the fact that this does not mean that you have the same income as before. We will continue to monitor the situation; we shall be proactive and assist if more help is needed. We are continuously doing that through discussions with the Malta Chamber of Commerce and with other stakeholders. The crux of it all is to continue to work together,” highlighted Minister Abela.

In his opening remarks, Malta Chamber President David Xuereb underlined the importance of the relationship that exists between employers and their employees.

He said that a company’s human resources, in an increasingly value-added economy, are possibly the greatest resource on the books.

“That is why The Malta Chamber has worked hard to propose workable solutions to Government to save jobs at this time of economic crisis,” Perit Xuereb said.

“The success of our businesses at this time of extraordinary challenge will all boil down to our resilience, our ability to adapt and ability to innovate. We must ensure that our businesses are aware of the opportunities that are arising in this new normal, and use them to adapt and innovate. We cannot wait for the storm to be over – we must learn to grow today”, Mr Xuereb said.