Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1047665
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 NOVEMBER 2018 potential party funders and stra- tegic electorate. Ironically Delia was very quick in shooting down the White Pa- per on rental properties, which at least starts addressing the problem of greed in this sector, which is undermining housing affordability. From serving, to being served by the foreigner Where one notes a remarkable shift in the attitude of both par- ties is in their attitude towards foreign workers. Muscat's "cosmopolitanism" does represent a departure from old Labour's more protectionist instincts, which resulted in au- tarky in the 1970s and 1980s and resurfaced in Alfred Sant's anti- EU campaign and Muscat's own tirades against irregular migra- tion when in Opposition. As Muscat crudely puts it now to address his voting base, while in colonial times the Maltese used to serve foreigners in their own country, "foreigners are now working for the Maltese people." In some ways Muscat has retained an 'us vs them' di- chotomy, with the roles being reversed. While Muscat made this comment in reference to low-skilled jobs like garbage col- lection which few Maltese want to take up, the concentration of foreigners at the top and lower end of the labour market raises the prospect of Dubaification where rich expats live in gated communities while workers in construction and tourism live in precarious conditions. Muscat's only antidote to pre- cariousness among lower end foreign workers is a debate on whether trade union member- ship should be compulsory. The advantage of this would be that everyone including foreign- ers would have nothing to fear if they join a trade union. One wonders how long it will be till this debate takes off. On the other hand, Delia's ex- clusive focus on foreign labour represents a sharp departure from the party's traditional openness and pro-European in- stincts. Although Delia is keen to distinguish between EU and non-EU foreign workers, the reality is that although the latter has grown from 4,000 to around 12,000 since 2013, workers from the EU still constitute the vast majority of the over-40,000 ar- my of foreign workers. Where Delia could strike a chord without renouncing his party's Europeanist heritage is in calling for more planning to en- sure that any increase in popula- tion does not come at our cost of quality of life. One question he should be asking is whether the increase in population has made a mass transit system like a metro economically feasible to construct and maintain? In fact, many of the problems raised by Delia may be better addressed by good planning, greater in- vestment in workers' skills and better enforcement of labour laws. The beginning of a big debate? The positive aspect of the Budget debate is that for the first time, a discussion has started on Malta's economic model on the choice of which voters have never had any real choice. It is also a debate where both parties largely converge. Back in 2013 in its electoral manifesto Labour had prom- ised social impact assessments to assess the impact of policies on society as a whole. While the increase in foreign labour is more a natural progression of a process pre-dating 2013 than a deliberate policy, as- sessing the impact of popula- tion growth on the infrastruc- ture and the Maltese way of life may help us address the challenges it presents better. Yet this pledge has not only been shelved at a national level but entire communities like Pembroke have been aban- doned to their own fate in the face of mega-developments at their doorsteps. This has left a gap on the po- litical left, which so far has been filled by ad hoc coalitions of social justice activists lobbying for an increase in the minimum wage, more affordable housing and a change in environmental policies. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt NEWS For Delia immigration is a convenient theme not to confront the elephant in the room: the fat cats who benefit from endless construction, and the wider population benefitting from higher rents and cheap labour Vacancy PROJECT COORDINATOR (Jobsplus Permit No: 582/2018) A vacancy for the post of Project Coordinator has arisen within NCPE, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, as part of the project 820451 Prepare the Ground for Economic Independence. The selected candidate will be expected to enter into a full-time definite contract (expiring in August 2020), where s/he will be responsible for the project activities including: - carry full responsibility for the planning, coordination, implementation and administration of the project from beginning to end; - be responsible for the financial scrutiny of each payment, procurement and monitoring; and - liaise with service providers and ensure all outputs are delivered in a timely manner and to a high standard. The Project Coordinator must be in possession of: Either Pertinent post-graduate degree (Masters); or an appropriate, recog nised, comparable qualification + 1 year relevant work experience in EU project management Or Pertinent first degree; or an appropriate, recognised, comparable qualification + 3 years relevant work experience, 1 of which should be in EU project management The degree must be in Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Public Policy, Social Policy, Commerce, Law, European Studies, Communications, International Studies, or Social Work. The individual needs to be a good team player, well versed in equality issues, computer literate and able to use all MS Office applications. Strong communication skills including excellent writing skills in both Maltese and English are essential for this position. Knowledge/experience of Accounts, Management and Government procurement regulations is considered an asset. Interested persons should send their application together with a detailed CV to the Executive Director by not later than Friday 16 November 2018. Late submissions will not be considered. NCPE Gattard House, National Road, Blata l-Bajda ĦMR 9010 Tel: 2295 7850 E-mail: equality@gov.mt Web: www.equality.gov.mt Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme 2014-2020 Project part-financed by the European Union Co-financing rate: 80% EU funds; 20% National Funds mirror wall… the most right-wing us all?