Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540142
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 OCTOBER 2025 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Malta registered the third-high- est share of employees working more than 45 hours a week, af- ter Greece (20.9%) and Cyprus (16.6%). Across the EU, 10.8% of em- ployed people aged 20–64 ex- ceeded 45 hours per week when combining their main and sec- ondary jobs. The figures reveal striking disparities between Member States. Bulgaria (2.5%), Latvia (4.1%), Romania (5.9%) and Hungary (7%) recorded the lowest shares of employees working long hours. Other countries with a lower percentage than Malta's include Germany (8.7%), Slovakia (9.1%), Lithuania and Estonia (9.3%), Spain (9.7%), the Netherlands (10%) and Slovenia (10.1%), Fin- land (11%), Italy (11.4%), Austria (11.6%), Sweden (12.4%), Bel- gium (12.4%), France (13.5%), Ireland (14%) and Portugal (14.2%). The majority of EU employees, 72.3%, worked between 20 and 44 hours weekly. This category was most common in Bulgaria (92.8%), Romania (90.6%) and Latvia (86.9%), where stand- ard working hours dominate. In Malta, however, the proportion of workers in this mid-range category is below 80%, reflecting the prevalence of longer working weeks. Meanwhile, 16.9% of employed individuals across the EU worked up to 19 hours per week. Malta recorded one of the fifth-lowest percentages of people working under 19 hours (nearly 8%). This part-time segment was particularly pronounced in the Netherlands (26.8%), Denmark (25.5%) and Austria (25.3%). Countries with fewer part- time workers included Roma- nia (3.5%), Bulgaria (4.6%) and Greece (6.1%). Eurostat clarifies that the sta- tistics cover actual hours worked for both main and secondary jobs, including paid and unpaid extra hours. Commuting time, meal breaks and periods of ab- sence, such as holidays or sick leave, are excluded. The data are seasonally adjusted and based on the EU Labour Force Survey, providing a comprehensive snap- shot of working patterns across the bloc. According to Eurostat statistics issued in May, the average Mal- tese employee worked 37.5 hours a week on their main job in 2024. Regarding hours spent on a main job, the longest working week was recorded in Greece (39.8 hours). By contrast, the Dutch reported the shortest working week (32.1 hours), followed by Denmark, Germany and Austria (each 33.9 hours). Malta registers third highest share of workers working over 45 hours in the European Union Malta among EU's hardest-working nations: 14.6% clock over 45 hours weekly, ranking third after Greece and Cyprus, Eurostat reveals Gzira pumping station to be restored A planning application has been sub- mitted to the Planning Authority for the restoration of the Gzira Pumping Station complex, located at Triq D'Argens and Triq Luqa Briffa. The proposal spearheaded by the Water Services Corporation foresees the resto- ration of the Grade 1 scheduled building, reconstructing its back wing, and upgrad- ing the surrounding grounds with a pub- lic garden and an underground reservoir. Plans also involve rebuilding the chimney and a boundary wall overlooking Triq Luqa Briffa. Built in the late 19th century, the Gzira Pumping Station was Malta's main water and sewer pumping station for the North Harbour area. This building is consid- ered both an architectural and historical monument, as a prominent example of Neo-Gothic architecture. Within its grounds is a reinforced con- crete water tower, likely constructed in the second half of the 20th century, making it one of the few such examples in Malta. The site also contains wartime shelters of cultural heritage value. The Superintendence of Cultural Herit- age (SCH) welcomed the intent to reha- bilitate the complex but requested further details. These include clarification of the proposed use of above- and underground spaces, documentation and preservation of any surviving machinery and pipework, and restoration of the concrete water tank under expert guidance. The SCH stressed that new installations must be reversible and cause minimal impact on the historic fabric. All works will be guided by an approved Restoration and Works Method State- ment. The area was also considered for a pro- posed link road in 1998, which would have connected Regional Road (Tal-Gas Area) to Marina Street, Gzira, passing directly through the site. The project was later shelved. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt A restoration project has been proposed for the historic Gzira Pumping Station, aiming to revive the 19th-century Neo-Gothic complex through structural restoration, a new public garden, and the reconstruction of its chimney and back wing.