Archive for Editorial
Government chooses to enrich the few and endanger people’s health
Our country needs to be led seriously because we are facing a dangerous situation whereby we shall witness an ‘explosion’ of Covid-19 cases. A marathon meeting, which lasted almost eight hours, between the social partners and the Prime Minister on Thursday 6th August, did not lead to the complete cancellation of mass activities. Despite the various concerns raised by representatives of the social partners, Government does not want to change its course but wants to resume with public events (albeit with a limited number of attendees) in the midst of a pandemic. Other European countries have ordered the cessation of mass events. On the contrary, the Maltese Government does not want to give in to the pressure being put on it by those who have the welfare of the Maltese at heart. Government, instead, wants to keep our country open to foreigners. Voice of the Workers stresses that in order to have a healthy economy we need a healthy population. The government is there to safeguard the people’s health. It is useless to open up the economy and facilitate business, when Coronavirus cases are on the rise. It seems that government has long forgotten that restrictions ordered by itself had forced many Maltese to stay indoors. Now it has to do away with the sacrifices made by all because of decisions that benefit those who want to profit swiftly to the detriment of the rest of the population. Meanwhile, this portal appeals to the public to continue following the advice and appeals provided by the health authorities. We all have to be in control of ourselves and be responsbible to where we are going. It is also important for vulnerable people to be given continuous protection and whoever goes outdoors must pay attention to himself/herself and to others. Voice of the Workers recalls that Malta has been fighting the pandemic for five months and unfortunately, when we look back, we see that government has not learned anything. Instead it is taking rash decisions without heeding to the concerns pertaining to the health of the Maltese population. (This editorial was submitted on Friday 7th August and may have been superseded by events)
Staying relevant at the place of work
COVID-19 has affected our personal lives and places of work. Organisations have never experienced such rapid changes to what they do and how they function, with remote working and social distancing becoming the new normal. However, the Coronavirus was not the only factor that affected our work practices. New technologies have been influencing the world of work for quite some time. Some jobs will surely be affected by automation. We already know, for instance, that some routine tasks in low-skilled jobs are being automated. Moreover, various technologies out there are waiting to be adopted. To mention just a few, let us think of artificial intelligence and drone technology. Are we truly prepared for more technological tools? How will new technology impinge on the workforce? Given, the fast-changing scenario, several technical skills will become obsolete. COVID-19 showed us how fast we have to adapt. Several workers were suddenly working remotely, leading and managing teams virtually, relying on video conferencing for collaboration and meetings, amongst other tasks. Investing in our personal development and growth is critical. The more we upskill and reskill, the more valuable we are in the eyes of our current and future employers – the more we are for future changes in our career progression. UHM Voice of the Workers is in continuous discussion with the relevant stakeholders in order to establish how technology could help places of work be more flexible and to enable workers to work remotely. Besides, with the rise of technology the human element will become important. We will need to draw more on soft skills like creativity, adaptability and critical thinking. All in all, we have to identify any gaps in our skills that are likely to prevent us from achieving future goals, stay focused, be curious and just keep on learning.
Can the cruise ship industry keep COVID-19 away?
Many of us will still recall pictures of hundreds of thousands of travellers stuck on board cruise ships — holidaymakers who weren't allowed to disembark and go back home because one or many…
Why do we wait?
Whether it's waiting to visit family, waiting for a holiday or waiting for the end of a pandemic, waiting seems to have become the order of the day. Waiting…
There is no place like home
As the world slowly reopens for travel, it is a good time to remember that we are emerging from a period unprecedented in human history. Never before have so…
Taking care of the environment and our livelihood
The world’s population will soon reach the eight billion mark. This translates into the disposal of eight billion single-use items. The need to do something on this issue is critical. Using a private…
Will it be difficult to get back to normal?
Everyone is yearning for the calm of normality. But can we really define what is normal? If we look at what is happening around us we see, amongst others, several economies struggling to rejuvenate. During the pandemic, a number of workers have suffered financially whereas frontliners were burnt out and sacrificed their time with their families. Some families have lost loved ones and regretted not being able to be with them in the last moments of their lives. This leads many of us to think about normality: when will things return to normal and what will the new normality look like? Normality, as we knew it, is one where the healthcare system and governments were not prepared to deal with crises like COVID-19. The new normality will be almost like the ‘old’ one, albeit the new one will hopefully be better prepared for global pandemics. We hope that the new normality, in other words, will change what was wrong and keep what was good with the old normality. The new normality will mean that many of us will go back to much we used to do before this pandemic broke out. However, our society will be making changes for the better, changes we hope will be good for the livelihoods of our communities. In the coming months, our lives will “return to normal”. For some, this normality is still far away. More businesses and commercial establishments have re-opened; others unfortunately closed down and made their employees redundant. More people may become infected with the virus and there might be individuals who will succumb to it. Meanwhile, the health authorities continue to remind us to remain vigilant and to take care of ourselves. Government has removed restrictions. A section of the population agreed to this decision whilst others are criticising Government’s swift actions very harshly on social media. In addition, we shall continue to face difficult challenges and we might not be prepared for them. Scientists and health specialists will try to overcome these challenges. They will be succeeding in some way, but the challenges will keep on coming.
Involved politicians should shoulder responsibility and resign from their public roles
The shocking revelations that are being made in court linked to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia are increasing the dosage of harm to our country’s reputation. Investigations, which supposedly were meant to be conducted by the Police but instead were undertaken by the independent media, have revealed more corrupt practices. These latest disclosures show how in the past few years, there was a disparaging relationship between senior politicians and dishonest business people. The recent news of Enemalta’s purchase of shares in a windfarm in Montenegro and its connection with the prime murder suspect raised more eyebrows and to date have given no credibility that the project was legitimate. We have seen or heard that former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had no knowledge of Yorgen Fenech’s connection to the above mentioned project. However, one has to be very ingenuous to believe that the former prime minister was not acquainted with the project or else that he was not involved in the due diligence that should have been made. People of goodwill are also doubtful of Muscat’s claims that his then chief of staff was not involved in the negotiations. In these circumstances, it is unacceptable that we, the citizens, continue to be taken for a ride. In the name of good governance, the present Prime Minister should act new and eliminate the perception out there that rogue politicians are untouchable. The people were not impressed when Prime Minister Abela said he was “disgusted”. That is not enough. He has to show that he is really a Prime Minister who wants to wipe out corruption that has continued to tarnish our country’s image in the international arena. Meanwhile, Voice of the Workers calls for the involved politicians to shoulder responsibility and resign from their public roles. They must not be protected anymore. This portal is also calling for the directors of Enemalta to shoulder responsibility for the Montenegro windfarm scandal. In the meantime, international organisations are monitoring Malta to see how the government is going to tackle the issues of money laundering and corruption. Unless drastic political decisions are taken to restore the much needed trust in the rule of law, scandals will increase and shall continue to cause serious repercussions on the country’s reputation. This editorial was written on Monday 22nd June 2020
Whoever is a Christian and ill-wishes others is a hypocrite
During the Coronovirus outbreak, we witnessed a time of unity and this was a beautiful moment for the country. Gradually, the sentiment amongst segments of the population started to…
Will telework continue post COVID-19?
Malta has reopened public life after weeks of restrictions. Several workers, who during the pandemic worked at home, had to stop interacting via Skype, Zoom or any other technological…