Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela has commissioned three persons who will be leading a process towards suggesting amendments to the law on industrial and employment relations.
These are Professor Edward Zammit, who until recently was the chairman in the Employment Relations Board and today is a consultant to the Minister, together with Dr Cory Greenland and Dr Sharon Fenech, both experts in industrial law.
These experts will be tasked in analysing the current law and indicating how and where changes should be made, so that it reflects developments in the industrial and labour field in recent years, as well as to strengthen its resilience to other developments in this field in the future.
This development was announced by Minister Abela, during a discussion held at the Old University in Valletta on the occasion of the 40th anniversary since the establishment of the Centre for Labour Studies within the University of Malta.
Minister Abela explained that the changes suggested by these three experts will lead to the presenting of a bill amending the Industrial and Employment Relations Act which will be proposed to Cabinet and eventually to Parliament. The experts are to refer to reports made in the past, as well as to consult with whom they deem appropriate in order to come up with their proposals. Their suggestions will then undergo a process of consultation with the social partners.
The Minister said that, since the act entered into force almost 20 years ago, this is the first time that a holistic exercise is underway to fully analyse the necessary changes.
In his speech, the Minister also explained how the labour market has adapted to changes in the working age of people, the number of women in the workplace, as well as nationality and skills. He stated that today we are experiencing a new industrial revolution and the challenges faced are equivalent to those of previous revolutions, affecting all aspects of our lives.
Minister Abela said that the labour market is also a testimony to the strength of a prevalent and sound social dialogue, where the parties have the chance for an open discussion, especially considering the effects that industrial disputes and other issues can have on society and the economy. The opinion of the social partners is also important for strengthening labour market laws and policies.
In this context, he urged the centre to continuously update itself so that its research and teaching can continue to be taught in an advanced way, as they were in the last 40 years.
