Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/644193
4 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2016 News Minister's trust to hold existing property and investments CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Mizzi said that the trust currently owns a shell company that has never been used. "This may be used in the future to hold my existing property and possi- bly investments. Currently the trust does not have any bank ac- counts. The trust was set up for long-term family asset manage- ment and inheritance." Mizzi last submitted his dec- laration of assets for 2014, in which he declared two proper- ties – one in London, UK and the other in Malta – as well as 4,000 shares in Malta Interna- tional Airport, €310,000 in bank deposits, €329,000 in loans, and a €76,000 income. "I have always strived to hold myself to the highest standards and will continue to do so. The trust is duly reported in my sub- mission for declaration of assets for 2015 – the year in which it was created – and will be sub- mitted in Parliament. In future years the content of the trust will be updated in my declara- tion of assets," Mizzi said. Mizzi, 38, met his wife Sai Li- ang, today consul-general for Shanghai, at the University of Nottingham in the UK where he graduated PhD, and afterwards worked in senior roles at De- loitte, Moorhouse Consulting, British Telecom, and global con- sultancy Pcubed, where he built its energy practice and served as partner for the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. Mizzi's election to PL deputy leader for party affairs, which he runs uncontested, was made possible after an amendment to the party statute to remove the bar on sitting MPs from running for the party's second deputy leadership post. "One of my key priorities will be to improve the party's com- munications, which will include a revamped schedule of current affairs programmes. We will be active and communicate on all fronts. I have engaged broadly with delegates and party mem- bers and have committed that we will once more open up party structures to ensure that every- body can contribute, within a defined structure. The feedback cycle with government will im- prove. This is critical for con- stantly improving performance." Mizzi also told MaltaToday that Labour's leadership would engage broadly with all stake- holders to develop the best ideas to be presented to the public at the next general elections. "The next manifesto will push bound- aries further to continue to im- prove people's lives," Mizzi said. Mizzi also criticised the Na- tionalist party, which he accused of conducting a character assas- sination campaign against him. "Friends within the PN parlia- mentary group warned me of the leaderships agenda… they have repeatedly come out with ficti- tious stories. There is a clear at- tempt to attack me and my fam- ily in the PN-leaning media. I will not shy away from pursuing further libel suits in court in the coming weeks," Mizzi said. As minister he has been tasked with delivering a new LNG plant that is expected to be completed by mid-2016. The plant's con- struction and gas supply was open to an international expres- sion of interest that was then won by a consortium made of Maltese business group GEM (Gasan and Tumas groups), the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR, and Siemens. Gasol plc, formerly a 25% shareholder, left the consortium last year. "I am proud to be part of Jo- seph Muscat's team. It is chang- ing Malta for the better. Over the last two years we improved pensions, introduced free child- care, eradicated out-of-stock medicines, reduced waiting lists for operation, reduced electricity rates and water tariffs and intro- duced policy changes such as co- education. "We have also raised standards by introducing new laws on par- ty financing, the whistleblower's act, removed prescription on crimes by politicians, and im- proved civil liberties. These are the reasons for which I ran for office. There is more to do, and more lessons to be learnt." Konrad and Sai Mizzi PN to present proposals for industrial tribunal reform MARTINA BORG THE Nationalist Party said yes- terday it would not support the government's proposals for the reform of the industrial tribu- nal and has presented its own amendments to the Employ- ment and Industrial Relations Act. Addressing a press conference yesterday morning, MEP and shadow minister for employ- ment Therese Comodini Cachia said that the PN had met with stakeholders and understood the urgency of the reform. "This reform gives us the op- portunity to change the justice process in the industrial setting and to have a law that repre- sents current needs," she said, adding that the PN had a list of principles it felt would meet the needs of the people. The Constitutional Court ear- lier this month upheld a ruling passed in June last year by Ms Justice Anna Felice, in favour of a claim by the General Workers' Union (GWU) that the compo- sition of the Industrial Tribu- nal breaches the right to a fair hearing and does not respect the Constitution and the Eu- ropean Convention on Human Rights. The Attorney General had appealed the judgment, argu- ing that the union should have sought redress in other fora and not the Constitutional Court, that there was a misinterpreta- tion of law and the context in which the union had filed its claim. Following the ruling, the government announced that it had asked the AG to draft legal amendments to strengthen the legal guarantees ensuring the independence and impartiality of the tribunal. Comodini Cachia said the party believed that the tribunal should be presided by someone fully certified, with no political ties. "Another principle we will keep in mind in our proposals is that the tribunal should be chaired by a magistrate, and that the security of tenure for members of the panel is en- sured," she said, adding that the party wished that magis- trates serving in the tribunal would have full protection both in terms of job security and in dismissal proceedings. "It is important for employees and employers to have full faith in the tribunal," she stressed. She added that the govern- ment should not have its "fin- ger in the pie" in terms of the appointment and dismissal of chairpersons or board mem- bers. "The reform should ensure that there is no added bureau- cracy and that sentences are handed down in an efficient and timely manner," she said. She added that the party also believes that all parties should have an effective right of ap- peal. "The Opposition will be mak- ing proposals for the amend- ments, bearing these principles in mind, to seek long-term and effective changes," she said. The PN spokesperson for in- dustrial relations, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, said that he had already spoken about the subject and the need for a rigor- ous change back in October. "An independent and impar- tial process is essential, and the government's draft may be un- constitutional as it is," Mifsud Bonnici said, adding that the PN's meeting with stakeholders had revealed a general consen- sus on the principles necessary for effective change. MARRIED COUPLES RECEIVING ONE PENSION WHO TODAY WOULD HAVE HAD A WAGE OF LESS THAN €212 A WEEK INCREASE IN PENSIONS HAVE RECEIVED AN INCREASE OF €4.15 A WEEK www.mfss.gov.mt pensions newspaper ad.indd 8 19/02/2016 6:10 PM Therese Comodini Cachia and Carm Mifsud Bonnici said the opposition will present new proposals after a court ruled the Industrial Tribunal unconstitutional