Abela ‘open’ to expanding remote working, but warns it cannot be at the cost of productivity
Prime Minister Robert Abela said that he is open to expanding how remote working is used in the economy, but warned that doing so cannot come at the cost of decreasing the country’s productivity.
Abela, together with his wife Lydia, spoke in a Labour Party event addressing youths where he faced and fielded a number of questions to the young people present.
Among the topics discussed was teleworking, with Abela describing it as one of the positive successes that emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic as he noted that it offers benefits to both employees and employers when administered correctly.
The Prime Minister cautioned however that productivity cannot drop as a consequence of the increased flexibility that remote working would provide. This said though, Abela noted that with the right safeguards, remote working could maintain or even improve the quality of work provided.
A variety of other topics were also discussed during the hour-and-a-half long event.
Among them was mental health, where Abela re-confirmed the government’s plans to construct a new mental health hospital near Mater Dei Hospital. He said that building this new facility elsewhere would contribute to the negative stigma surrounding mental health: a stigma which implies that mental health issues are to be hidden away.
He said that the bids for the new tender – after the original was cancelled last year – will be adjudicated in the coming weeks.
On sport, Abela questioned why nutrition is something which is not included in the national curriculum, saying that this would go a long way towards promoting good eating habits from an early age.
He again reiterated that the government is considering expanding its free gym membership scheme, which was introduced for youths last year.
On tourism, Abela said that the term “shoulder months” no longer exists in the sector’s vocabulary due to the government’s strategy.
He also looked forward to the start of direct flights between Malta and the United States of America, which are set to kick-off in June via a schedule of three weekly flights operated by Delta Airlines. He described this a gamechanger for the sector which will result in more quality tourists in the country.
Speaking about housing, Abela said that while Malta has a high home ownership rate, there remain challenges for the government to face.
Lydia Abela highlighted topics such as work-life balance and also the need to encourage more young girls to enter career fields which have traditionally been more male-dominated.
The Prime Minister meanwhile announced that the government will launch Malta Vision 2050 on Friday, with the launch also including the opening of a new immersive experience that has been built in the form of a pavilion near the Triton Fountain just outside of Valletta.
RSS Feed Source: Independent Malta Abela ‘open’ to expanding remote working, but warns it cannot be at the cost of productivity