On Workers’ Day, Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party said that for the exit from the COVID-19 crisis to be effective, an EU wide plan based on a truly social and ecological vision of Europe and the world is the only effective method. A plan based on a vision based on solidarity and cooperation and not on competition.
Greens Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said: “Those most affected negatively by this crisis are low wage earners, freelancers and platform workers and the self-employed. It should be a new normal that every type of worker has real and effective access to public support schemes. We also need laws which effectively ban, increasingly common, zero-hours contracts. Everyone should be guaranteed a basic income which lifts everyone out of poverty or the risk of poverty. It is unacceptable that we have a section of workers who are working poor, whose work does not guarantee a decent quality of life. We need a European Union wide basic income scheme. An EU wide study on the implementation of a universal basic income system, together with universal public services, which guarantee a decent quality of life to all is now necessary. There are various new sources of income which could be tapped by the EU for the effective implementation of social programmes. The crisis has brought to forefront the importance of low wage earners, such as carers and cleaners. These workers are more often than not women, the most lowly paid and with the least rights. That’s why we need a social Europe.”
“Finally, we need a serious and comprehensive EU wide Green investment programme, the Green New Deal, to remodel our economies into economies which serve the interests of society, to wean our economies of their dependence on pollution and fossil fuels. Clean air should become a new normal. A Green New Deal necessitates an focus on retraining, on new types of employment and on moving towards a better world for the many, not the few.”
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Malta u Ewropa verament soċjali u ekoloġika – Jum il-Ħaddiem 2020
F’Jum il-Ħaddiem, Alternattiva Demokratika temfasizza li fid-dawl tal-kriżi tal-COVID-19 issa hu l-waqt li tinbena Ewropa verament soċjali u ekoloġika. Socjeta mibnija fuq is-solidarjeta u mhux fuq il-kompetizzjoni. Viżjoni effettiva għall-Ewropa u anke għad-dinja ibbażata fuq il-kooperazzjoni internazzjonali u s-solidarjeta’ hija l-unika mezz effettiv biex noħorġu mill-kriżi.
Carmel Cacopardo, Chaiperson ta’ AD qal:”L-aktar li batew u qed ibatu f’dil-kriżi huma dawk il-ħaddiema li għandhom pagi baxxi, il-freelancers u s-selfemployed. Għandna niżguraw li kull ħaddiem ikollu aċċess għal skemi effettivi ta’ għajnuna. Hemm ħtiega ta’ liġijiet li jeqirdu l-kunċett aktar u aktar komuni ta’ xogħol hekk imsejjaħ fuq b’kuntratti ‘zero-hour’. Hemm bżonn dħul minimu li huwa ‘l fuq mil-livelli ta’ faqar, mhux aċċettabbli li jkollok ħaddiema li minkejja li jaħdmu xorta huma effettivament foqra. Hemm bżonn skema ta’ dhul minimu mhux biss fuq livell nazzjonali imma anke fuq livell ta’ Unjoni Ewropea. Hemm bżonn studju serju ta’ kif tista’ tiddahhal ‘universal basic income’ (dħul bażiku universali) madwar l-UE kollha, ikluż studju dwar liema servizzi pubbliċi għandhom ikunu msaħħa u liema sorsi ta’ dħul għandhom jintużaw mill-UE biex tiffinanzja parti minn skemi soċjali Ewropej. Huwa ovvju anke f’pajjiżna li ħafna xogħolijiet li sfortunatament jitqiesu bħala ta’ livell baxx, bħal per eżempju dak ta’ carers u cleaners, li huma essenzjali f’dil-kriżi qed isiru minn nisa, li l-anqas li għandhom drittijiet u l-anqas li jitħallsu.”
“Fl-aħħar mill-aħħar għandna bżonn investiment serju f’Patt Ġdid Aħdar (Green New Deal) effettiv, biex l-ekonomija tagħna issir sostenibbli u ma tiddependix fuq it-tniġġis miż-żejt, a skapitu tas-saħħa tagħna kollha. Għaldaqstant it-taħriġ f’xogħolijiet ġodda huwa essenzjali biex wara li noħorġu minn dil-kriżi ikollna verament dinja aħjar.”
