Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1513813
RESTAURANTS have reported a 20% decrease in sales during Christmas compared to last year. The Association of Catering Establishments (ACE) blames inflation for the business slow- down, adding that, despite res- taurants being busy, diners are spending less. A report in the Times of Malta about restaurateurs being wor- ried by a poor start to the hol- iday season prompted an angry reaction among the public at large, with hundreds of com- ments accusing caterers of hav- ing sown the seeds of their own destruction. They were also accused of in- creasing prices while lowering their standards. In some catering establish- ments, pasta - which is consid- ered a cheap but good meal - has even become prohibitive for many. The price charged in res- taurants for wine has also pro- voked negative comments. Many pointed out that it is now cheaper to eat out in major Eu- ropean cities. Comparisons with prices in Sicily - where many Maltese go for short breaks - make restaurant prices in Malta look shamefully high. Moreover, the service in many restaurants in Malta has tended to become shabby with many employees coming from third world countries, some of whom can hardly speak in English, let alone Maltese. Meanwhile, the introduction of a skills card for foreigners seek- ing jobs in the tourism industry has been postponed from Janu- ary until the end of March to en- able it to be fine-tuned, accord- ing to the Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo. The scheme would oblige third-country nationals applying for a work visa in Malta's tour- ism industry to pass a skill based assessment before their appli- cation can be processed. How this scheme will work is still not clear. Moreover, nobody knows whether those who are already employed in the catering indus- try will lose their job when the scheme is finally introduced. Clayton Bartolo has also warned restaurants against prof- iteering during the Christmas season, after complaints of sales being low despite tables remain- ing busy. Speaking after visiting the staff at a hotel on Christmas Eve, Bar- tolo said that while it is true costs have gone up across the board for restaurants, establishments should not seek to make an un- due profit off their customers and cost of services to the diners should be related to the category of catering establishment. ACE general secretary Mat- thew Pace said that inflation was causing diners to penny pinch when going out for a meal and that where before a table may order a bottle of wine, they would much rather opt for it by the glass nowadays. Despite the issue being han- dled by the Ministry responsible for Tourism, it does seem to me that the majority of patrons din- ing in restaurants are Maltese nationals, not tourists. In fact, whenever I go to dine in a res- taurant, I find that the number of patrons who are tourists is a minority. It is Maltese citizens who are actually spending mon- ey in catering establishments, rather than tourists. As a result of inflation next year, most Maltese citizens will be losing much of their spend- ing power and with meal prices going up, many owners of cater- ing establishments will end up struggling to make ends meet. It is no surprise that inflation is still pushing food prices up and that, as a result, 'consumer pow- er' is weakening. Moreover, according to the last economic update of the year published by the Central Bank a few days ago, economic senti- ment in Malta last month dipped below its long-term average. The dip is attributed to shrink- ing confidence in the services and retail sectors, both of which registered significantly lower scores than in previous months. 1958 and all that During the Christmas peri- od, I found myself reading a very interesting book penned by the noted historian, Joseph M. Pirotta. The long title of the book is: 28 April 1958, Mintoff and the National Interest. This is not a review of the book but I cannot desist saying that I was fascinated with the real sto- ry of what led to the national day of protest declared by Labour and the GWU on that fateful April day. Pirotta looks into every nook and cranny of Malta's political history from the day Mintoff was elected a member of La- bour's Cospicua local section in 1933 when he was just 17 and then became the party's General Secretary three years later. His struggle centred mainly on his resolve to raise the standard of living of the Maltese, at first mistakenly attempting to solve the conundrum by proposing Malta's integration with the UK. His impatient character makes the story somewhat more dra- matic. He wanted to get what he wanted as soon as possible. But history forced him to be patient. He provoked a split in the La- bour Party when he ousted Paul Boffa from the post of party leader. His brusque way of do- ing things stands out clearly. His strategy included blackmail whenever he thought it was nec- essary. Very often the end justi- fied the means. For him acting in the 'nation- al' interest justified using all the means at his disposal It is a fact that at the time Mintoff could not envisage the survival of an independent Mal- ta, and this was why he opted for integration. Eventually when the integra- tion dream fizzled out, Mintoff had to turn to the other option: independence. The disturbances organised by the Labour Par- ty-GWU tandem on 28 April 1958 marks the point when Mintoff switched officially to 'Malta for the Maltese'. He want- ed to show Britain that a Maltese soul exists - a Maltese soul that cannot accept being ill-treated in its own country. I was a 12-year-old schoolboy when it happened and although I vaguely remember the day, I never understood properly what led to the protest. The ramifica- tions of Mintoff's struggle to im- prove Malta's standard of living are laid out clearly in this book. Not just that. With this back- ground, Mintoff's furious ac- tions after he was elected back into power in 1971 have now made more sense to me, irre- spective of whether one agrees with them or not. Even so, his propensity to threaten with violence and blackmail whoever he thought was in his way persisted long af- ter the British had left Malta for good - but that is another story. Here's wishing a happy and prosperous New Year to all at MaltaToday and its readers. 9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 DECEMBER 2023 OPINION The weakening power of consumers Michael Falzon micfal45@gmail.com Tourism minister Clayton Bartolo has also warned restaurants against profiteering during the Christmas season