Alternattiva Demokratika has said that it welcomes the decision to introduce equal rights for temporary agency workers within the EU, describing this as a step forward for a more social Europe.
Michael Briguglio, spokesperson for Social and Economic Development, said, “The European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee has approved the the Council of Ministers’ common position on temporary work. Temporary agency workers will now have the same basic working and employment conditions as other workers doing the same job, including not only pay but also other benefits such as training and access to childcare. Effectively, this will make it more difficult to exploit such workers for lower wages or other exploitative measures. This decision sends a clear message for the ‘flexicurity’ debate, namely that flexibility should be accompanied by greater security.”
Arnold Cassola, AD Chairperson, added, “This draft Directive will return to the European Council of Ministers for final agreement. The European Greens played an important role in achieving such an important breakthrough for such workers. AD also appeals for improvements in the situation of other workers such as part-timers and workers on contract, many of whom are still not benefitting from their legal rights in Malta. We augur that the next budget increases resources for enforcement in this regard.”
In a separate statement, the General Workers Union urged the government to adopt into Maltese law, the decision taken by the European Parliament whereby temporary workers engaged by employment agencies would, from day one, enjoy the same rights as other workers engaged by their employer.
The union said this decision resolved a six-year impasse on a directive on temporary workers.
It has also confirmed that temporary workers and regular employees in the same company would enjoy the same rights, even when the temporary workers worked abroad.