Alternattiva Demokratika has urged the Government and civil society representatives to support the proposed working-time directive in the EU. AD said that this directive, which establishes a maximum average 48-hour working week, can help improve the quality of life of workers and create new jobs, especially if coupled by other improvements in employment legislation.

Michael Briguglio, AD Chairperson and spokesperson for social and economic development, said, “AD supports policies that reduce exploitation of workers and that encourage employment with decent pay and conditions. For this reason we are supporting the position of the European Greens, the European Confederation of Trade Unions (ETUC), and the European Parliamentary Committee on Employment. We have also made our position clear within the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC). AD is the only Maltese political party that is supporting the working time directive, just as we are the only political party that is calling for an increase in the minimum wage, also including part-time work.”

“Through the working time directive, workers’ health and safety will benefit. Long working hours can be detrimental, unhealthy and unsafe for workers and for others, and can therefore also be costly for the economy due to accidents and inferior work in stressful conditions.”

“The maximum limit of 48 hours working-time per week is an average and can therefore be balanced over a longer period, which is important for sectors such as tourism which are characterised by seasonal work. In this regard, we believe that ‘on call’ time should be considered as working time.”

“Malta has the lowest employment rate in the EU, especially due to low employment amongst women and ageing workers. Through implementation of the working-time directive, new employment opportunities can be created for such workers, instead of having current workers being forced to work longer hours.”

“As a Green Party we believe in policies that balance employment with the lifestyle of the individual. Whilst employers lament that the working-time directive can reduce competitiveness, AD believes that the Maltese economy can actually be more productive and competitive whilst being more socially just, as is the case with certain EU member states. We therefore believe in a social and ecological Europe.”

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