Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/820803
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 MAY 2017 7 ber of Commerce have warned against "populist and irresponsi- ble promises", saying this was an unrealistic measure in the face of a minimum wage rise and that it heralded a political race for par- ties to outbid each other on free- bies. As recently as 2016, Gonzi de- fended the measure. "Millions of jobs were lost and wages, pen- sions and social services were cut [across Europe in 2008]. I appreciate the role of the consti- tuted bodies in Malta, but I urge everyone not to be complacent and to benefit from the lessons learnt from others who preferred to resort to populist strategies and politics," he told The Times in 2016. The Green Party has in the past also proposed that public holidays falling on a weekday be moved to Fridays or Mondays, so that the long weekend makes it easier for workers travelling to and from Gozo, and make it easier for fac- tories to plan shut-downs. While Malta's labour laws state that all employees are required to receive pay for their non-work- ing holidays, what is unclear is what occurs when an employee is required to work on a holiday due to the nature of their posi- tion. Journalists, for example… in many cases, a substitute paid day off is usually given per work contract. But that means it is up to indi- vidual workers or unions to nego- tiate with employers. News REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN ON www.financemalta.org/conference-2017 FinanceMalta is the public-private initiative set up to promote Malta as an international financial centre #FMConf2017 B RE XIT FAM I LY B U S I N ESS ES FI NAN C IAL S E RVI C ES BLOC KC HAI N AM L C ROWD FU N D I N G S ECU R ITI SATI O N PE N S I O N S FI NTEC H Quantum Leap Taking the next Quantum Leap Taking the next Quantum Leap Malta's Financial Services Industry: FinanceMalta will once again bring together international and domestic thought leaders for a day of discussions and thematic workshops geared at taking Malta to the next level in the provision of financial services. The event is aimed at CEOs, CFOs, senior executives in fund and pension management, insurance, Blockchain and Fintech gurus, lawyers, auditors and other financial services professionals doing international business to and from Malta. DIAMOND SPONSOR PLATINUM SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS FinanceMalta 10th Annual Conference 17 – 18 May 2017 | Hilton Conference Centre, St. Julian's, Malta AD campaign focuses on good governance took illion on weekends STEFAN GAUCI Thousands of voters are fed up with the way the country was being run, but could still not be persuad- ed to vote for the Nationalist Party, possibly because people were los- ing faith in politics and in both ma- jor political parties, Alternattiva Demokratika claimed yesterday. At a press conference in Valletta for the launch of the party's elec- toral campaign, AD chairman Ar- nold Cassola said his party was of- fering disillusioned Labour voters an option that was more palatable than voting for the PN. "Imagine it the other way around, having been a Nationalist voter one's entire life and then being told the only way was to vote red," he said. "Some people just can't do it." Until last week, AD had been in discussion with the PN about a possible coalition that would also include the Democratic Party, which chose to contest the elec- tion under the Nationalist ticket. Discussions appeared to fall apart after AD insisted on a full coalition under a new party name and ban- ner. Cassola confirmed that during the negotiations, AD had urged the PN and PD to consider changing the coalition's name, since many voters would not feel comfortable voting under the Nationalist flag. He said that the party's manifesto was solely based on a clean politi- cal structure and public life as well as the environment. "The point is, we are here for those who re- ally want to show they care about transparency and clean govern- ance," he said. AD deputy chairman Carmel Ca- copardo explained that the party's electoral manifesto was still being finalised, but said it would focus mainly on ensuring that the coun- try's institutions go back to being under the jurisdiction of Parlia- ment, instead of being under the total control of the government, as had happened in this legislature. "The party will also be putting forward a number of serious pro- posals on social issues and the en- vironment," he said. Cassola: 'Alternattiva Demokratika a more viable option than PN for disillusioned Labour voters'