A number of University of Malta academics recently participated in a roundtable discussion with Hon. Carmelo Abela, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, where they got an opportunity to voice their expert opinions on what the new legislation on Employment and Industrial Relations should focus on.
In May of 2020, Minister Abela had promised that the government would be discussing amendments to Malta’s Employment Laws with a number of social partners, .
Whilst the term 'social partners' usually includes unions and employers, the participation of academics in this roundtable also signalled a bigger effort for this legislation to reflect the interests of different groups within society.
Pro-Rector for Student & Staff Affairs and Outreach, Prof. Carmen Sammut opened the roundtable, commending the government’s effort in listening to different stakeholders, giving this amended legislation a bigger element of dynamism through the valued input being given through years upon years of experience. Being the second biggest employer in Malta, she said, it is imperative that the experiences and challenges of its staff are shared and analysed.
, Associate Professor at the Department of Gender & Sexualities, made an intervention on the need for this legislation to emphasise equal work for pay of equal value. This was followed by a contribution by the University’s Administrative Director of the Office for Human Resources Management & Development, Ms Jacqueline Fenech, who outlined the issues linked to teleworking and remote working among members of the UM community.
Dr Anna Borg, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Labour Studies, provided some insight into the implementation of the EU Work Life Balance Directive in Malta, after which , Head of the Counselling Unit at UM, highlighted the need to keep workers’ wellbeing a priority in this new legislation.
Other members of the UM community, who joined the session remotely, also gave their feedback, raising relevant points such as the need for minorities to be included in this legislation.
Minister Abela welcomed all the feedback, saying that whilst the current pandemic served as a time of reflection and rethinking of strategies for many, this legislation will affect employers and employees on a much more permanent basis – and therefore it needs to reflect reality beyond these challenging times.
