{"id":2133,"date":"2018-12-08T09:32:26","date_gmt":"2018-12-08T08:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/?post_type=article&#038;p=2133"},"modified":"2018-12-12T18:33:33","modified_gmt":"2018-12-12T17:33:33","slug":"2133","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/article\/2133\/","title":{"rendered":"Need of political will to address shortcomings of the job market"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2165\" src=\"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Pic-1-Use-this-pic-at-the-top-min.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"6000\" height=\"4000\" srcset=\"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Pic-1-Use-this-pic-at-the-top-min.jpg 6000w, http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Pic-1-Use-this-pic-at-the-top-min-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Pic-1-Use-this-pic-at-the-top-min-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Pic-1-Use-this-pic-at-the-top-min-1024x683.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Pic-1-Use-this-pic-at-the-top-min-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 6000px) 100vw, 6000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere needs to be the political will to address the current shortcomings of the job market. There must be the determination to reform the education system to make sure that it can furnish workers with the skills and knowledge they need within today\u2019s and tomorrow\u2019s economy.\u201d\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>So said Josef\u00a0Vella, Chief Executive of\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0in a speech he gave at a seminar entitled\u00a0<i>Shaping of labour relations through workers\u2019 organisations \u2013 which factors have a direct influence on professional life?<\/i><i>\u00a0<\/i>organised\u00a0by\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0in collaboration with the European Centre for Workers\u2019 Questions (EZA).\u00a0 This event was held at\u00a0Cavalieri\u00a0Hotel, St\u00a0Julians\u00a0on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 December 2018.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The session on Thursday morning started with an introduction by\u00a0Jesmond\u00a0Bonello, the Director of\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i><i>.\u00a0<\/i>He said that<i>\u00a0<\/i>any changes at the workplace should be implemented following consultation with the workers and their representatives. If this is not\u00a0done\u00a0it can lead to worker demotivation and, even, depression. While praising the developments in technology that we hear about, he appealed for training for the workers. The\u00a0Director of\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i><i>\u00a0<\/i>added that the biggest challenge faced by each union is highlighting the advantages of each collective agreement.\u00a0He added that unions need to continually adapt themselves to changes in the international economy to continue to evolve.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Josef Mozolewski, the Vice President of EZA who is from Poland spoke about the work and projects carried out by the Centre this year. He praised the\u00a0U\u0126M Voice of the Workers\u00a0for its commitment to address the challenge of digitalisation of today\u2019s workplace. He said that this year EZA dealt with a number of issues among them immigration and it discussed programmes regarding education and skills and how they link in with the job market. He spoke about how the renowned Polish organisation\u00a0<i>Solidarnosc<\/i>\u00a0has continued to work to better the quality of life in the country.\u00a0 The Vice President of EZA said that\u00a0it is true that\u00a0society today is\u00a0facing new challenges, but these should not dishearten us.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Karin Sch\u04e7npflug, from the Institute of Advanced Studies in Austria, spoke about trade unions in a changing world. She said that Austrian youths do not discuss politics on social media while\u00a0in Malta the situation is quite different. She explained how traditional jobs are disappearing and the members of European trade unions are getting older.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Dr. James Calleja, the Chief Executive of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) said, among other things, that without workers with specialised skills the country will struggle to find workers in certain sectors.\u00a0\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Calleja\u00a0said that workers today are educated and education has changed workplaces into centres that give persons dignity. On the other hand, there is still a great deal to do to close the gap between manual workers and workers with a tertiary education.\u00a0\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Calljea\u00a0said that,\u00a0notwithstanding\u00a0the modern\u00a0era\u00a0we are living in, trade unions need to keep defending workers\u2019 rights. He asked whether trade unions are still fashionable or are workers\u2019 committees replacing trade unions? He said that the gains made by universities have not yet been matched in the vocational training sector.\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Calleja\u00a0said that unions can contribute to strengthen areas of education. He asked how robots are going to work when it comes to union membership.\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Calleja\u00a0sees a number of roles for trade unions, among them, to obtain funds and act as mediators between the working world and the world of education and vocational training.\u00a0 He also sees trade unions as partners with industry so that workers can better themselves. He said that trade unions should be the motivators behind both formal and informal education.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/BWXzVfqx5sqVYNRsal\" width=\"480\" height=\"319\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The seminar continued with a discussion where the issue of membership of trade unions was mentioned. Josef\u00a0Vella, the Chief Executive\u00a0of\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0proposed the model of an agency shop, that is, a system where the members who are not in a union pay a fee to the union to negotiate their work contract. The money would go into a central fund to finance research initiatives and other work related to statistics related to trade unions. The Chief Executive\u00a0of\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0said that the principle here is that if you want a service you need to pay for that service. This way, abuse by free riders can be controlled. He said that it would be better to address free riding than turn to the state for help.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Josef\u00a0Vella\u00a0once again spoke about precarious work, an issue that the\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0been speaking about for the\u00a0last four years.\u00a0He explained the proposal put forward by this union that all work contracts be placed on a portal through which a copy is automatically\u00a0made available to the worker. The aim behind this proposal is to \u2018wed\u2019 technology\u00a0with the law to increase enforcement and control abuse.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Dr.\u00a0Matthew\u00a0Brincat,\u00a0from the\u00a0<i>Malta Employment Lawyers Association<\/i>\u00a0(MELA)\u00a0said that workers should not be forced to join a union. He does not agree with\u00a0the\u00a0U\u0126M\u2019s proposal\u00a0of the portal and instead proposed blacklisting those companies that do not abide by the law.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Dr.\u00a0Martin Balzan,\u00a0the President of the Malta Confederation of Trade Unions (CMTU) and the President of the Medical Association\u00a0of Malta\u00a0(MAM) said that voluntary membership gives members the opportunity to exercise their influence.\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Balzan\u00a0said that there should be official statistics on how salaries are moving from one sector to another.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>National\u00a0MEP\u00a0Roberta\u00a0Metsola\u00a0said that today Europe needs to ensure that there are more jobs that maintain human dignity and safeguard human right. She said that there needs to be more enforcement against those who abuse workers and exploit them. Roberta\u00a0Metsola\u00a0said that unions need to adapt to face the future. In spite of the fact that today\u2019s technology is bringing up a number\u00a0fo\u00a0challenges, the Nationalist MEP said that we need to keep the individual at the\u00a0 centre of all we do and incentivise them with training. Above all, added Roberta\u00a0Metsola, the unions need to be the guardians of the strengthening of society.\u00a0\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In another session of the seminar, John\u00a0Mallia, Managing Director of\u00a0MediaCoop\u00a0spoke, among other things, about the fact that solidarity today is mainly being expressed on social media. He said that a number of new technological tools are being created that influence what is happening on the job market.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Mara\u00a0 Edelj,\u00a0the\u00a0President\u00a0of\u00a0BOFOS\u00a0in\u00a0Serbia\u00a0said, among other things, that young workers today do not want to stay in one job until retirement. She said that we need to define the\u00a0role of trade unions, that is,\u00a0they need to continue to base their work on solidarity and be ready for changes\u00a0for lifelong learning.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Veselina Starcheva,\u00a0from the Confederation of Work\u00a0PODKREPA\u00a0of Bulgaria said that the organisation she is a member of works to keep abreast of advances in technology and how they affect the worker. She said that unions today should better understand the workers through\u00a0the lens of the changes that are happening on the job market. Maria\u00a0Pedrova, also from PODKREPA, added that there are efforts in place to ensure that digitalisation\u00a0does not affect the\u00a0job market.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Andreas Gjecaj,\u00a0the General Secretary of\u00a0FCB, OGB\u00a0from\u00a0Austria said that attention needs to be paid to the fact that digitilisation is expanding at a\u00a0very\u00a0rapid rate.\u00a0Anton Jansen, from the police trade union ACP, spoke about different generations of workers who all adapted to the call to commit\u00a0themselves\u00a0within a job market that is diversifying.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Katarzyna\u00a0Kaca\u00a0and\u00a0Karol\u00a0Nosal,\u00a0from\u00a0<i>Solidarnosc<\/i>\u00a0in Poland explained the situation of the job market in Poland. They said that trade unions need to react to\u00a0digitalisation\u00a0that can result in social inequality. Mariana\u00a0Lemos\u00a0Martins, a representative of the\u00a0<i>Fidestra<\/i><i>\u00a0Junior<\/i>\u00a0of Portugal, said that in her country the trade unions are in the news when there is industrial upheaval. She said that from a young age people should be taught the importance of work. She said that the trade unions should visit more workplaces to understand the thoughts, ideas and concerns of the workers.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Jesmond\u00a0Bonello, the Director of the\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>, concluded the session on Thursday by saying that the unions should carry out more research. He said that in the last few years the\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0has modernised itself and is adapting to the times.\u00a0Jesmond\u00a0Bonello\u00a0said that if the union wants to give the best service possible it should also consider short term membership and professional marketing.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The seminar continued on Friday 7 December with other interesting sessions. In his speech, Josef\u00a0Vella, Chief Executive of\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0said that, as a union, the\u00a0U\u0126M<i>\u00a0Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0asked for a debate to be held at the Malta Council for Economic and Social\u00a0Development (MCESD) about current developments and how the job market will look in the next five to ten years.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>He asked how the increasing presence of foreign workers is\u00a0impacting collective negotiation in the Maltese Islands. We also need to know what exactly the political direction of this government\u00a0is\u00a0with regard to the influx of immigrants from third countries.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Josef\u00a0Vella\u00a0said that we are not aware of any exercise to forecast skills\u00a0needs\u00a0in Malta.\u00a0What plans are there to correct skill discrepancies? Why is the education system in Malta struggling to address the discrepancy in skills? He said that the government wants to drastically reform strategies about work and education. Malta can look to the future with optimism as long as it has the courage and the political will to lead in a changing world.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Chief Executive of\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0spoke about the impact of digitalisation on the job market. He said that technological change is one of the main factors that influences job markets, skills demand and supply as well as job structure. Josef\u00a0Vella\u00a0explained that the inequalities that can be created by technological change are of concern.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Chief Executive of\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0said that social dialogue is necessary to ensure that digitalisation does not do any harm to working conditions or to the levels of service.\u00a0 He said that the experts are forecasting that there will be 1.4 million workers in Europe by 2020. The World Economic Forum is\u00a0predicting that 65 per cent of children who are currently attending primary school will end up doing jobs that do not yet exist.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Josef\u00a0Vella\u00a0concluded that there needs to be more effort to strengthen the vocational education sector and higher education to ensure that we can face today\u2019s technological reality. These efforts should also focus on refugees and irregular immigrants and their integration in\u00a0the\u00a0job market.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Joseph F. X. Zahra,\u00a0Director of\u00a0<i>Surge Advisory Malta<\/i><i>\u00a0<\/i>said that we need to change the way we look at things and take initiative. He said that there is nothing wrong in saying that most changes happen in times of crisis. He asked about the role of unions in managing change and said that we need to strengthen trust among union members. One also asks however: are we sufficiently able to handle change? He also asked how organisations react to changes \u2013 are they arrogant, do they adapt,\u00a0do they get trapped,\u00a0do they act in a way that leaves\u00a0a legacy?\u00a0\u00a0If we want to look towards the future, we need to adapt. We need to change how we think \u2013 where will we be in the next few years? Solidarity and human relationships also need to be strengthened. He ended up by saying that\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>a\u00a0union needs to have more than one role and should not remain monolithic. Joseph F.X. Zahra said that we also need to emphasise ethics and values on the job market.\u00a0We should focus on integrity, honesty, subsidiarity and solidarity instead of management of conflict. After all, education and accountability are crucial in the times we live in.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Philip von Brockdorff, Head of the Department of Economy at the University of Malta and a representative of this union on the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) said that often the parties in government fall for globalisation, and for rich and powerful people. He said that globalisation is causing uncertainty among workers\u00a0while\u00a0precarious work\u00a0is on the rise.\u00a0All this is leading to inequality and the works are being exploited and paid very little. He referred to the recent case of the Libyan worker who fell seven storeys and died. The debate that followed the tragedy was not about the work that he was doing but on whether the video clip that was posted on social media should have been broadcast. He spoke about the situation of workers from third countries that, because of precarious pay, should be given attention and should be encouraged to join a union so that\u00a0their rights could be safeguarded. The number of workers who are being paid precariously is rising and the unions need to reach migrant communities. \u201cWe do not want ghettoes. There should be integration of immigrants\u201d, said\u00a0Dr.\u00a0von\u00a0Brockdorff. Moreover, trade unions need to develop strategies that go beyond their role so that policies can be created. Trade unions need to find a balance between the economic and the social dimensions.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The session continued with a\u00a0video\u00a0on the role of the\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>\u00a0in the\u00a0trade union sector.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The seminar concluded with a few words by\u00a0Jesmond\u00a0Bonello, Director of\u00a0U\u0126M\u00a0<i>Voice of the Workers<\/i>.\u00a0He said that\u00a0digitalisation\u00a0is a common challenge faced by unions today. He referred to people\u00a0from third countries\u00a0who\u00a0integrated and,\u00a0even,\u00a0joined a union. He said that though we cannot stop globalisation, we can make adjustments so that we are going in the right direction.<span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/uUz0BIJCC9BY8Hcf2W\" width=\"480\" height=\"349\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThere needs to be the political will to address the current shortcomings of the job market. There must be the determination to reform the education system to make sure that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2165,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"spay_email":""},"issuem_issue":[89],"issuem_issue_categories":[9],"issuem_issue_tags":[],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"2.8.8","language":"en","enabled_languages":["mt","en"],"languages":{"mt":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/2133"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2133"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/2133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2195,"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/2133\/revisions\/2195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"issuem_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issuem_issue?post=2133"},{"taxonomy":"issuem_issue_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issuem_issue_categories?post=2133"},{"taxonomy":"issuem_issue_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/weekly.uhm.org.mt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issuem_issue_tags?post=2133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}