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THE GOZO TIMES - The Times of Malta - 13th September 2004
Working in Gozo
Maria, a widowed 32 year old, single mother of two primary school age children, is in tears. Sitting on the closed toilet lid in one of the factory’s stalls, she hastily puffs on a cigarette while trying to regain her composure. It’s Friday afternoon, and the manager just announced that the whole production staff was to report for work the following morning. Having never been home before 7 p.m. the entire week, Maria had promised her kids that she would take them swimming on Saturday. She had tried to reason with her supervisor that surely ten hours overtime were enough for one week. It was his forthcoming reply that had reduced her to the state she was in now: “If you don’t come in tomorrow, you don’t need to come next week either!” – Labour laws state that a minimum of 24 hours notice must be given to employees to work overtime; moreover, with Malta’s entry in the EU, companies cannot demand more than 8 hours per week overtime from their employees unless they are in agreement. Curiously, this law was sold as a disadvantage to its voters by the labour opposition.
Gino, 43, married with one teenage daughter, has been working half his life in the same factory. Although the workforce is represented by a union he and his colleagues have seen a steady decrease in their pay cheques for the last six years. Once he had earned enough to afford his wife the luxury of staying home and look after their young daughter. Mind you, it had never been easy money, but regular overtime and attractive production bonuses had topped up the meagre basic wage sufficiently, rendering the slavery in a monotonous job acceptable. During recent years, however, the management had continually set the base rates higher and higher, often as soon as the workers managed to improve on those rates. Lately, money had been deducted from Gino’s wages when he failed to reach the quota. Burnt out and depressed, he is left wondering just what this life is all about.
Paul, 22 and single, was on his way home from work. Having driven the factory truck for the past 13 hours – crossing over to Malta fully loaded several times – fatigue had set in, reducing his attention span considerably. He is still not able to explain how he could possibly have overlooked the huge trailer whose path he crossed just as he was about to enter the main road leading to his village. It seemingly came out of nowhere, in the process maiming his almost brand-new car, which he still has another year of monthly instalments to pay for. Miraculously, Paul escaped serious injury. The accident had evidently been his fault. Or had it? – Regulations exist that clearly state the maximum number of hours a driver is allowed on the road in any given period of time, and also prescribe minimum times of rest.
The above examples, names and circumstances are pure fiction – but any resemblances to real-life situations are intended. Gozo: the island where time stood still. Over two hundred years ago the industrial revolution kicked off in England; human beings were reduced to human machines in the process. There are uncanny similarities with the way too many workers in Gozo are still being treated today. Although little would be achieved without them, they are nothing more than dispensable, exchangeable equipment, not unlike the engine of a formula one racing car that is blown as a new lap record is attempted.
Unfortunately any examples given here must remain fictitious. The fear of loosing one’s job is widespread – and justified. There is little to gain if you initiate a process against your employer, but everything to lose. Even if you were to win your case you would need a very thick skin indeed to continue working for the same boss; and Gozo being the size it is: who would willingly employ a person who took his/her previous employer to court?
In my last article I outlined a number of disadvantages Gozitans have to put up with, but only one lone statement mentioned working conditions in Gozo in passing. Amazingly, responses from this side of the channel solely referred to that single sentence. However, not one “real” person is prepared to speak up and relate their experience in public. There must be quite a few Marias, Ginos and Pauls – but sadly an even larger number waiting to take their places.