Category: Archive – 2014

GRTU Deputy President Philip Fenech had last week actively
participated in a round table discussion organised by the European Parliament
office in Malta, where the main business stakeholders were also represented
together with candidates for the next EP election.

It emerged that the main concerns is that the European Union
puts too much emphasis on supply but not on demand, in terms of jobs, meaning
that as much as it is good for the EU to encourage people to go out and work,
it also needed to push to stimulate demand in the first place, so that
unemployed persons would be absorbed by employers, which it transpires, is not
the case since there do not exist enough businesses to do just that. Another
major concern is that the EU adopts a one-size-fits-all principle, despite the
fact that each Member State has its very own individual challenges.

GRTU expressed its belief that amongst the MEPs elected
should be individuals that really know what it means to be an entrepreneur. "If
we want Europe to really understand SMEs and think like an entrepreneur, we
literally need to have entrepreneurs in the heart of Europe", stated Philip
Fenech. "It is no mean feat to understand what the needs of SMEs are, therefore
having the possibility of electing someone of such background as an MEPs is a
golden opportunity. They know what it means to be an entrepreneur and they
think as entrepreneurs. They will be there to represent SMEs, they will have
the necessary flexibility and the power of decision making".

GRTU reminded however that at no point should MEPs operate
single handedly. It is no easy task to represent SMEs within so many sectors
and their many diversities. GRTU advised that MEPs should stay close to their
stakeholders. They know what t­hey need, they know what helps them and what
harms them, and therefore they must be listened to and consulted.

Mr Fenech also called for MEPs to keep in close contact with
business organisations by systematically consulting them on all policy
decisions affecting SMEs. . They should use their influential positions to
insist that business organisations and SME representatives at EU and national
level should be involved in the design and implementation of legislation and
support programmes. Such intermediary organisations and support entities are
key to assisting SMEs and SMEs turn to them for guidance therefore their
important role should be recognised.

The priorities of GRTU and its members for the upcoming
European Parliament elections include:

–    Fair competition

–    Improvements in the business environment and helping SMEs to
become more competitive

–    Attracting investment and creating employment training measures

–    Easier access to standards

–    Efficient public service

–    Respect of the heterogeneity of SMEs

–    Think Small First.

The round table discussion launched the process that will
lead to the drawing up of a joint manifesto of the expectations of Maltese
businesses for the forthcoming MEP elections.

GRTU is currently working on its own Manifesto that will be
presented later on during this first quarter of the year, closer to the
elections that are to be held on the 24th May 2014.

As part of the
Management Partnership agreement between the Malta-EU Steering and Action
Committee (MEUSAC)
and the European Commission, MEUSAC is currently implementing a project,
entitled, ‘The Economic Recovery: Overcoming the Crisis Together'.

Following the
first three sessions focusing on the Business Sector, Research and Innovation
and Education and Employment, a final half day seminar will be discussing
Energy. The seminar will focus on the Maltese energy sector's present situation
and the national targets Malta has to reach in accordance to the Europe 2020 Strategy.

Details of the event:

Date: Friday,
January 24, 2014

Place: The Waterfront
Hotel, Gżira

Time: 8:30 am –
12:00 pm 

Due to space
limitations, only persons representing the public sector, businesses, civil
society organisations in the environment and energy sectors and social partners
are invited. Further information on the main speakers and the agenda will be available in the
coming days.

Should you be
interested in attending kindly register by sending and email on by not later
than Tuesday January 21, 2014.

The phenomenon
of ageing population among EU Member States including Malta whilst it is an
indication of for instance a sound healthcare system is on the other hand
weighing heavily on public finances in particular through growing expenditure
on health care and European Employment Observatory named Employment policies to
promote active ageing, 2012 written by Dr. Manwel Debono director of the Centre
for Labour Studies (CLS) at the University of Malta, provides a very good
insight about this phenomenon in Malta.

Situation

Malta
registered a 1.2% increase in the number of persons aged 55 years and older
between 2008 and 2010, which is twice the EU average increase over the same
period. Malta's employment rate relating to persons above 55 years of age is
significantly lower when compared to the EU average. Whereas the rates among
55-59 and the 60-64 age groups are 11.6% and 16.3% lower than the EU average.
This gap is more significant among older women where Malta registers the
highest inactivity rate. In 2010 the employment rate of female workers in Malta
falling in the 55-59 age bracket, was 52.1% lower than that of males while the
rate for female workers in the 60-64 age group was so low that it is not
captured by surveys.

The report
makes reference to a qualitative study carried out by the Employment and
Training Corporation (ETC) about the reasons why older men leave the labour
market before the formal retirement age which are quite complex. The main
reasons were related to redundancies, poor working conditions, business
difficulties, poor health, and marital separations.

Moreover early
retirement schemes, financial stability and the fact that relatives no longer
depended on the person's earnings are important ‘pull' factors.

Measures promoting active ageing

The report give
details about which are the policies that promote active ageing. It points out
aspects contained in the labour legislation, such as the last-in first-out
concept and the ‘Temporary Agency Workers Regulations' (2010) which are
advantageous for older workers.

Nevertheless it
also refers to the media publicity campaigns to promote active ageing that were
carried out in recent years that have promoted the qualities of older workers
among employers, and tried to encourage older workers to improve their
employability through lifelong learning. On the other hand the report is
critical towards the application of early retirement schemes as a means of
reducing the deficits of ailing public sector companies such as the relatively
recent case of Airmalta.

Recommendations

Among the
recommendations brought forward by this report one finds:- the need to increase
awareness among employers to employ older workers; more EU funds to assist
older long-term unemployed persons, through empowerment programmes imparting
general employability skills and specific work-related skills in emerging
economic areas; the development of a comprehensive and consistent approach in
dealing with lifelong participation in society needs to be developed and
implemented in which lifelong learning and lifelong career guidance are given
their due attention.

The complete
version of the report can be accessed through the weblink:

http://www.eu-employmentobservatory.net/resources/reviews/Malta-EPPAA-Feb2012-final.pdf

Europort
Romania, a small yet well-known maritime networking event will celebrate its
10th anniversary from 13 – 15 May 2014.

The
event will be held in Constanta and aims to strengthen relationships with the
management of shipyards, sea and river ship owners, marine equipment trading
companies, port managements, salvage companies, navy authorities and marine
designers from Romania and surrounding Black Sea countries.

Romania
has 10 large shipyards involved in both new buildings and repair &
maintenance of a.o. bulk carriers, tankers, container vessels, multi-purpose
ships, inland navigation vessels, tug boats, freighters, patrol boats, LPG
carriers, offshore supply vessels, naval ships and dredgers.

Romania
has kept a vivid maritime industry, even in times of crisis, and largely
depends on imported equipment. This offers good opportunities for international
suppliers in the field of propulsion, automation, deck equipment, integrated
bridge management, hydraulics, navigation and communication, dredging, electrical
systems, ventilation and air conditioning, propellers, pumps etc.

The
event has a maximum capacity for  around
35 companies. Participation includes ready to use stands, ship yard visit, BBQ,
lunches and networking receptions amongst others. Also you can book the package
including hotel and airport transfer.

For more
information about the program and participation packages visit: www.ahoy.nl/digibrochure/europort-romania<http://www.ahoy.nl/digibrochure/eu

The national
minimum wage of part-time employees shall be calculated pro rata at the same
hourly rate of a comparable whole-time employee in accordance with the relevant
Wage Regulation Order (WRO). In cases where a WRO is not applicable, the pro
rata is calculated using the weekly National Minimum Wage applicable for a
comparable whole-time employee, divided by forty.

Minimum Wages for 2014

18 years and
over €165.68

17 years
€158.90

Under 17 years
€156.06

Commissions

The wage
payable to the employee can consist of a commission so long as the minimum
weekly wage is guaranteed and such minimum wage is paid at regular intervals
not exceeding four weeks in arrears.           

Statutory Bonus

The full
statutory bonus payable every six months is as follows:

End of June €
135.10

From the 15th
till the 23rd December € 135.10

When calculating
part of the bonus it can be worked out at €0.74 per calendar day including
Saturdays and Sundays.

Weekly Allowance

The full
statutory Weekly Allowance payable every six months is as follows:

End of March
€121.13

End of
September €121.13

When calculating
part of the weekly allowance it amounts to € 4.66 per working week, or a
proportion thereof.

Cost of Living Increase

The cost of
living increase is obligatory. A full-time employee is entitled to the full
increase, while a part-time employee is entitled to part of the cost of living
increase in proportion to the hours worked.

This is a gentle reminder that the
Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC), together with the Malta
Environment & Planning Authority and the Ministry for Sustainable
Development, the Environment and Climate Change will be organising a
consultation session on the proposed EU directive to reduce the consumption of
plastic bags.

The
consultation session on the ‘Proposal for a Directive of the European
Parliament and of the Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging
waste to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags' will focus on the EU's plan to tackle
environmental degradation caused by plastic littering as well as the
inefficient use of this resource. Moreover the session will discuss potential
national reduction targets, in the form of economic instruments or market
restrictions, aimed at reducing the consumption of lightweighet plastic carrier
bags.

The
consultation session will be held on Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 2pm, at Europe House,
254, St Paul's Street, Valletta.

Should you be interested in attending but haven't registered yet, kindly apply on

by not later than Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at noon.

There are
discussions currently ongoing in order to address the problem of online returns
because of wrong sizes (on clothes)". 

The
Commission's report of 25 September 2013, concludes that "size labelling is
being addressed by either voluntary schemes or standards" and, thus, do not
need to be addressed in the Textile Regulation. Moreover, based on the findings
of a study on textile labelling, the report mentions that "limited benefits are
expected from a mandatory system as compared with a uniform EU-wide
standard-based system".

However,
a consultant in charge of a study on textile labelling identified the "problem
of online returns because of wrong sizes", with its associated costs which are
supported by both customers (approximately 1/3) and retailers (remaining 2/3).
That study also suggests that an "important benefit from a standard-based
sizing system" would be the "facilitation of online sales of clothing and
textile products and the reduction in returns of items bought online"

As such
it is being assumed that a standard-based size coding system would have the
potential to contribute to possibly minimising the percentage of returns in
on-line sales (due to wrong size) and that ‘virtual fitting' tools (e.g.
scanning facilities/rooms or internet-based techniques) would only partially
cope with this issue. It is the Commission's understanding that reducing
returns would be beneficial to both consumers and retailers/manufacturers.
Furthermore, such a size coding system complementary to product labelling or
marking would contribute to increase customers' confidence and, as a consequence,
the volume of on-line sales of clothing.

If you
have any comments/suggestions, please send your input to by
latest on 27th of January 2014.

This year will see many important laws enter into force that
will affect the daily lives of millions of Europeans. From January these
include a European patent to boost innovation and rules on mercury and
electrical waste. Later there will also be legislation on consumer protection,
intellectual property and environmental protection as well as rules to shape
the EU's banking union and ensure the free movement of workers.

Intellectual property rights will be better protected
by extending the number of possible infringement customs officials can check
for at the border and by introducing new rules on the jurisdiction of courts
and the recognition of judgments. These will be implemented in a number of
member states starting January.

The EU aid volunteers programme will create
opportunities for about 10,000 people to help out in humanitarian operations
across the globe the coming seven years.

Erasmus+, the revamped version of Europe's popular
education programme, will enable more than four million young people to study
or train abroad from now until 2020 thanks to its budget of more than €14
billion

Legislation to ensure electrical and electronic
equipment is recycled better enters into force in February and rules to make
tumble driers more energy efficient in November.

It is the end of the line for all old mercury
thermometers and other measuring devices in April. The EU aims to reduce the
amount of the highly toxic metal used as it forms a health hazard.

Consumers will benefit from better information on
their food, including nutrition information on processed foods, origin labeling
of unprocessed meat, while allergens such as peanuts and milk will have to be
highlighted in the list of ingredients.

In 2014 there will also be new legislation on how to
deal with failing banks and investment firms, protect people's savings and make
it easier for Europeans to work in another part of the EU.

In addition there will be new rules on tobacco
products to discourage people from taking up smoking and on data protection to
ensure our personal information online is better protected.

GRTU has on Sunday 12^th January 2014 held its Sixty Fifth Annual General
Meeting. During the AGM the minutes of last year's meeting were read and
approved, GRTU's President Paul Abela gave a speech, a detailed presentation
was given of the annual report, members put forward their views, the annual
accounts were approved and the auditor was confirmed.

In his address President Abela said that like all other years
2013 was a very busy year for GRTU. GRTU was kept busy with the usual affairs
of representing our members as well as other challenges which at the same time
GRTU sees as an opportunity, including the change in Government, the first year
of implementation of the EU funded project of Europe Direct and the retirement
of Vincent Farrugia as GRTU Director General.

Mr Abela continued by saying that we already see a number of
issues that will be keeping GRTU busy during 2014 which included:

The issue of
Opening Hours

Employment
Schemes for Enterprise

Helping members
restructure to become more competitive in the scenario of increased competition
from Malta and abroad and also online shopping

Make increased
use of EU funds for GRTU and its members

Working and
insisting with Government to tackle issues related to traffic and parking

Working and
insisting with Government to take concrete action on unfair competition

Working and
insisting with Government to introduce an increased number of GRTU's proposals
for Budget 2014

Working and
insisting with Government to implement the Small Business Act in its entirety

The President also appealed to all GRTU members to take more
interest in the work of GRTU and to involve themselves in GRTU.

During the AGM the members of the GRTU Council thanked Mr
Paul Abela for ably continuing to manage the office, following the retirement
of the Director General, which has involved a large time commitment from his
side. They thanked the staff for continuing to give their best, through their
professionalism and ability, and making sure to tackle the issues faced by GRTU
and its member. The Council also thanked Vincent Farrugia for the work he has
done in favour of enterprise during the 20 years he was Director General at
GRTU.

Following interventions made by individual members present,
Mr Paul Abela invited the candidates to each briefly address the floor
and
following this he opened the possibility of voting. There were 5
individuals
from last year's Executive Council that are due for election and 4 new
candidates. From a total of 9 candidates 6 have been elected by GRTU
members.
The 18 members of the GRTU Executive Council for 2014 are the following:
Abela Paul, Azzopardi Emanuel, Borg Maurice, Camilleri Sergio, Cutajar
Patrick, Debono Mario, Desira Emanuel, Fenech Azzopardi Therese, Fenech
Philip, Galea Michael, Galea Stephen, Gauci Noel, Haber Joan,
Mizzi Marcel, Vella Josette, Vella Salvu, Zammit Karmenu u Zerafa
Joseph.

Furthermore yesterday Paul Abela was reappointed as president
of the GRTU's executive national council for 2014. The rest of the council was
also announced, and the executive roles are: Philip Fenech as deputy president;
Marcel Mizzi as vice president for finance and administration; Joan Haber as
vice president for sections; Sergio Camilleri as vice president for localities;
Michael Grech as vice president for international relations and Mario Debono as
vice president for development.