Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1331728
21.01.2021 5 NEWS European Parliament to vote on Agius Saliba 'right to disconnect' report THE European parliament will today formally vote on the Right to Discon- nect report that calls for an EU directive to grant this right to all workers within the union. Speaking at a press conference via Zoom, Labour MEP Alex Agius Sali- ba - the parliament's rapporteur - said that in order for the directive to pass, it needed a qualified majority of 357 votes. Yesterday, the Right to Disconnect report was debated in the European parliament, and MEPs voted on amend- ments to the directive, ahead of the final vote ursday afternoon. "e Covid-19 pandemic has funda- mentally changed the way we work. Now, more than one in three Europe- an workers are working from home. e pressure to be always 'on', always reachable, is growing as the boundaries between private life and work life are increasingly becoming blurred," Agius Saliba said. He said that working from home makes it particularly difficult to switch off. e MEP said that studies show that people who regularly work from home are twice as likely to work more than the maximum 48 hours per week limit laid down in EU law. e human cost is high, he said. "From unpaid overtime to muscular and eye illnesses, to depression and burnout." "We cannot abandon millions of Euro- pean workers, who keep going and do their jobs under the extremely difficult circumstances of the pandemic, but who are exhausted by the pressure to be always 'on' and the extended work- ing hours. Now is the moment to stand by their side and give them what they deserve: the right to disconnect," Agius Saliba said. The right to disconnect allows workers to refrain from engaging in work-related tasks, activities and elec- tronic communication, such as phone calls, emails and other messages, out- side their working time, including during rest periods, official and annu- al holidays, maternity, paternity and parental leave, and other types of leave, without facing any adverse consequences. "After working hours or while on holi- days, workers must be able to switch off their phone or emails without fear of negative con- sequences. is is vital for our mental and physical health. It is time to update worker's rights to the new realities of the digital age," Agius Saliba said. Agius Saliba highlighted that there was a strong lobby fighting against the report being approved at parliament, however, he said the Progressive Alli- ance of Socialists and Democrats were united on this issue. In a statement, MEP, S&D spokesper- son on employment and social rights Agnes Jongerius said that in this vote, the EPP and Renew will have to show "their true colours" and decide on which side of history they want to go down. "In my eyes, it would be shameful to deny millions of workers their desper- ately needed right to disconnect and a sin not to ensure that the technological progress of digitisation brings social progress for the many," Jongerius said. Malta's race to implement directive first In December, Minister within the Of- fice of Prime Minister Carmelo Abela said that legislation on the right to dis- connect will form part of wider legisla- tion on remote working. Intentions in introducing a "right to disconnect" law were first put forward in November by Abela himself, who had revealed that there are ongoing discus- sions on a first draft of such a legislative framework. Abela had said that Malta wanted to become the first European member state to introduce a law. NICOLE MEILAK PRIME Minister Robert Abela warned construction industry operators that no- body is above the law in his parliamenta- ry speech during today's plenary. e Prime Minister admitted that the lack of action taken within the construc- tion industry over the years has left a negative impact on quality of life, even if some advancements were made in re- cent years. "Today I believe we need to give it a higher priority," he said. During his speech he tabled a com- mittee report on the building and con- struction industry that was drafted by a technical committee tasked with putting forward recommendations on the con- struction industry as a whole. e report forms part of the ground- work for the Building and Construction Authority Bill currently being discussed in parliament. e Bill provides for the establishment of a Building and Construction Author- ity, which would regulate all matters re- lating to the building and construction industry, as well as a register of service providers which would be maintained by the same authority. It would also see the Safer Neighbour- hood Scheme put forward by the Malta Developers Association enshrined in law, allowing neighbours living adjacent to a construction site the option to have an architect's report drawn up at the ex- pense of the developer. e MDA has since welcomed the announcement, noting both the decla- ration made by Robert Abela as well as the positive response from PN Shadow Minister for planning Dr Hermann Schi- avone. Kamra tal-Periti welcomes Construction Bill e Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers, or Kamra tal-Periti, is pleased with the introduction of the above-men- tioned Bill, and said that it is "encour- aged by the fact that the Bill was clearly influenced by its proposal document and the presentation given to the Prime Min- ister's Technical Committee last March." "e Kamra shall be proposing addi- tions to the Bill to emphasise the need for separation in the Act between build- ing regulations, which govern design standards falling within the remit of ar- chitects and engineers, and construction regulations, which govern construction safety, methodology, and processes fall- ing under the responsibility of contrac- tors," the chamber said in a statement. PM ISSUES STARK WARNING TO CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 'Nobody is above the law' Prime MInister Robert Abela