Prime Minister Robert Abela met with the social partners in the MCESD, where he discussed with them the situation between Ukraine and Russia.
At the opening of the meeting, before the discussion began, the Prime Minister assured that the millions in wage supplement granted during the two years of pandemic will remain in the pockets of businesses.
“The importance of social dialogue had reached a historic agreement on 24 March 2020, at a time when the pandemic had just hit us; around this table we had reached an agreement on various topics. In particular, on the wage supplement. At that time, the agreement between us was crystal clear, that the wage supplement was a grant and that agreement was and will continue to be honored by the Government. Therefore, I firmly refute what the Leader of the Opposition said, that he tried to break the agreement between us that this was not a grant but that it is a payment that the employer will have to reimburse the Government. This is not true, the wage supplement is a grant and there will be no request for a refund from the Government. ”
The Prime Minister also assured that in this time of conflict, the Maltese Government will also continue to protect businesses and workers. Therefore, he stressed the importance of keeping the MCESD up to date with the latest developments.
“I understand that as people who represent so many people, businesses and workers, you are also concerned about the impact on Malta. Before all this, however, we must take a clear position. We are against war, wherever you are in the world. We are a peace-loving country. For us, the most defining value is mercy. ”
Prime Minister Robert Abela emphasized that this Government will continue to take every step necessary to mitigate the impact on Malta.
“The impact on Malta of this conflict is indirect in the form of higher prices including the interconnector of electricity, imported food and interruptions in transport systems. As a Government we have already announced aid to farmers and ranchers amounting to € 4.5 million to help and make up for the increase in the price of grain. We do not rule out providing further assistance to this sector in case of need, in fact discussions are underway with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture to help importers in this sector ensure a supply of grain for six months. ”
Here, the Prime Minister had a very clear message that our country will continue to assist from a humanitarian point of view with reference to the discussions with the European Union for Malta to receive a number of patients for treatment. He thanked the social partners for their assistance in the form of products on their way to Ukraine.
On the impact on other sectors including transport, security and defense, the aviation and tourism sectors, the Prime Minister explained the current situation and that the Government is following the latest developments. to continue to take the necessary decisions.
