Category: Archive – 2012

Malta Enterprise is inviting businesses wishing to explore business opportunities in Italy to participate in an Investment and Trade Promotion delegation to Milan, between the 21^st and 24^th of May, 2012.

Companies from the following sectors are encouraged to apply: mechanical and precision engineering, ICT and electronics, alternative energy, financial and professional services, education and training, and MICE.

Eligible enterprises include:

1. Manufacturers
2. Service providers
3. Licensing and Franchising
4. Companies seeking joint ventures and strategic alliances
5. Technology Transfer
6. Companies seeking R&D opportunities

Companies seeking to import finished products are NOT eligible.

As part of its assistance Malta Enterprise will endeavour to set-up one-to-one meetings for participants through its institutional networks. Malta Enterprise will also refund eligible participants up to 60% of flight costs and a per diem allowance. Refund is for one representative per participating company

Application forms together with a €250 deposit should be sent to us by not later than Wednesday  28^th March, 2012. This deposit will be fully refunded together with the financial assistance referred to above after the event. In cases where a company cancels its participation, any cancellation costs incurred by Malta Enterprise on behalf of the company will be deducted from this deposit.

Should you require further details contact Abigail @ GRTU.

Green MT has applied for a permit to operate a Batteries and Accumulators Compliance Scheme. Importers (Producers) are invited to attend this important meeting.

A meeting is being organized on:

 Date: Thursday, 22nd March 2012

Time: 3.00pm

Place: GRTU Offices,

Exchange Building, Republic Str.,

Valletta

Subject  Batteries and Accumulators Scheme

GRTU President Paul Abela wrote to all elected Mayors congratulating them on their election and the election of the other councillors.As the Local Councils Association can confirm, GRTU is working hand in hand both with the Association and with individual Local Councils on a number of projects and schemes for the mutual benefit of Local Councils, residents and the business community.

GRTU told the mayor it is confident that this spirit of co-operation will be enhanced through the welcome co-operation of each mayor.

GRTU will be contacting the Local Councils shortly to set up an introductory meeting which should pave the way for smooth cooperation in the coming years.

GRTU has this week met a small delegation from Montenegro. The last time GRTU representatives visited Montenegro was in June 2007 as part of an official delegation to Setinye. The delegation from Montenegro mentioned that they should shortly join the EU and as such Montenegro has to adopt the EU acquis communautaire. GRTU President Paul Abela told the Montenegrin experience of joining the EU.

They were especially interested in knowing what the business community thought, how they were affected by EU membership, the derogations and exemptions of Malta from certain EU regulations.

They also were interested in the involvement of social partners in the negotiations. GRTU explained the various incentives and schemes for businesses which are currently in place with the support of EU funds.

GRTU also mentioned that GRTU has nothing against Montenegro joining the EU and is available to provide support in the process. In addition to this GRTU had also signed a bi-lateral agreement for cooperation with the Employers Federation in Montenegro that provides support to Maltese and Montenegrin businesses when they are visiting the country.

Gas Distributors have now been hanging on a thin line for quite a number of years now. Since October 2008, Government with a simple stroke of a pen issued Legal Notice 249 of 2008 which has instantly struck them off the map in the most unethical of ways.

Whilst GRTU is always in favour of continuing discussions on this issue, we truly wonder how a Government cannot even decide on such a trivial issue. For this particular issue we all know the facts, one cannot please three different entities – Liquigas, EasyGas or the existing Gas Distributors.

Discussions started in December 2010 just after the end of year strike and by July 2011, after long hours of discussions a draft legal notice was issued for consultation. The consultation was over by 6^th September but still there was not to be decision as Government does not have the will power to come to terms with the fact that not all decisions can please everyone.

Beyond this, another attempt by Government was put in place, a legal notice that would without fail put an onus on the ownership of cylinders. This was introduced on 29^th November 2011, but to date the cylinder saga continues and the mess grows deeper.

A third attempt is now being put in place, that of creating an official clearance house under one roof. Even this will go to the deep end if it is not supported by legislation which takes the holistic approach required by our market.

To add insult to injury, MCCAA, the Authority responsible for Competition continues to flog dead horses. This is an Authority that has either risen from the dead or was given instructions by Government to stand tall with the business community. The Office of Competition, OC, (it's no longer called ‘fair competition') struggles with the fact that gas distributors are represented by GRTU. This simple fact seems not to be to their liking. They state that this is in breach of European law. We believe otherwise. God forbid, we have joined the European Community so that businesses can no longer be represented by legitimate Constituted Bodies at law.

As has been for many and many years gas distributors are in charge of separate territories, meaning each gas distributor has a specific area assigned to him to service. The OC, Office of Competition, is has felt the need and therefore is currently carrying out an investigation into the territories assigned to be services by these gas distributors. There is in reality no reason behind this investigation. Real experience of the system for so many years has shown us that this system works and it constitutes a social obligation at law.

Furthermore the importing companies have their side of the story too. One of which has made massive investments and continues to insist that the company has bought the whole distribution system. On the other hand, the other importing company not being in a dominant position continues to drive the market in the directions it desires. There is no telling what the next move will be.

When is this government going to learn that there is a time to listen, a time to discuss, a time to evaluate but also a time to decide?

When is this Government going to decide and implement what it deems as decent in 2012?

When is this Government going to wake up to the realities of the problems faced by this sector?

If it is not able to decide it should move on and let others do the job. Delaying such decisions brings about indecisions that affect human beings, their families and their lives. Gas Distributors ARE human beings, they have families and children at home, they have loans to pay, they have decisions to make. The way this Government has badly handled this sector leaves so much to be desired.

Gas Distributors have a social agreement with the community at large and they will continue to serve the community at large. But the knives behind their backs are becoming unbearable by the day. Each day is another dismal morning.

Government has to wake up to a stark reality, that of either putting its foot down and really put in place a distribution system that works within our community as it has done for so many years or else take braver decisions. A decision that will not please everyone, we can live with that, but no decision is utterly another lost day for this sector of the business community.

GRTU has this week organised in conjunction with ETC an information session which was very well received by members. GRTU called the session and invited the ETC to explain the support and schemes falling under the ETC that target employers. The ETC explained that it has undergone significant restructuring and part of the restructuring was aimed at being more responsive to the needs of the employer.

 The ETC has in fact launched an Employers' Services Department. The head of the department Mr Tonio Montebello explained that he himself comes from the private sector and he is trying to revamp the services offered to employers by the ETC to make them more responsive and effective to the needs of employers. He went on to list and explain the services and the schemes:

Services

Vacancy Services (local & EU jobseekers)

Advertising of vacancies on the ETC website, job centres, job banks and daily automailer

Matching of vacancy with suitable job seekers

Personalised Recruitment Services

Employment of Foreign Nationals

EU Nationals

Non-EU Nationals

Employment Licences (Work Permits)

Manpower Records

Engagement / Termination Forms

Employees Lists

Employment Histories

Schemes

Employment Aid Programme

• Facilitate the integration of disadvantaged and disabled people in the labour market. The disadvantaged groups are:

a. Youths under 25 and within 2 years of completing full-time education – 50 % of the Wage costs plus half the employer's NI; Duration of Assistance – 52 weeks

b. Any person who wishes to re-enter working life and who has been absent both from work and from education for at least 2 years.

c. Any person living as a single adult looking after dependants.  

d. Any person who has not attained upper secondary level qualifications or equivalent (ISCED Level 3) and who has been made redundant in the past six months 

e. Any person older than 50 who does not have a job or who is losing his or her job (i.e. has been served with a redundancy notice of termination of employment) 

f. Any long-term, registered unemployed person.

g. Any person who is a registered disabled person and who has a recognised, serious, physical, mental or psychological impairment.  In this case, as from 1/1/2011 age of eligibility will be put up to 65. Level of Assistance – 75 % of the Wage costs for the first year and 60% for the second and third year.; Duration of Assistance – 156 weeks

Work Trial Scheme

20 hrs / week, 12 weeks max, 50% of min wage

• youth, inactive person, over 25 unemployed for over 6 months, recent redundant persons
• Bridging the Gap Scheme
• up to 40 hrs / week, up to 52 weeks max, up to 80% of min wage
• disadvantaged / disabled persons

Training

Traineeships

• a dual system of occupational training. Short term apprenticeships as duration cannot exceed one year, but allows ETC to respond quicker to Employers' needs

Training Subsidy Scheme

1. for the self-employed and employees of micro enterprises
2. to develop their skills by participating in further off-the-job vocational education and training
3. 75% of the direct training cost up to a maximum of €1,000

 Training Programmes

Training Aid Framework (TAF)

Financial assistance to employers wishing to invest in the training of their workforce.

available for companies in the private sector

subsidy will vary according to the type of training and the size of the enterprise

Training can be in-house or out-sourced and can be given in Malta or abroad through distance learning

Each company will be eligible for a maximum of €250,000 each year

Apprenticeships

Participation in the ETC Apprenticeships

Technician Apprenticeship Scheme

Extended Skill Training Scheme

icw MCAST / ITS

Duration varies from 18 months to 36 months

These recommendations should serve as a basis for Small (10 to 50 employees) and Medium-sized (up to 500 employees)

Enterprises (in the form of unlisted Swiss corporations)

to ensure the exercise of responsible and sustainably value-added direction and control after the completion of the start-up period. Successful SMEs always further long-term satisfaction and voluntary loyalty of:

customers and suppliers,

employees and the general public, as well as

the owners of the enterprise.

These recommendations present handy and simple direction and control instruments and contain best practice advice for entrepreneurially managed SMEs. The recommendations are to serve their audience as a means of reflection. Divergences should be reasonably justifiable. With regard to small enterprises and other businesses in the start-up period, these recommendations can be taken as an incitement.

Opportunities for SMEs

SMEs can be successful on a sustainable basis when they:

• emulate other exemplary enterprises,
• adopt the merits observed in these,
• simultaneously exploit the particular capabilities of the SME, such as flexibility, quick decision-taking processes and the long-term time horizon of their owners, and
• possess a unique corporate strategy.

Structure

The recommendations are divided into four levels based upon the four pivotal success factors for the effective direction and control of the SME:

➊ Situational Level: Due consideration of particular circumstances within the SME

➋ Strategic Level: Targeted direction of the SME

➌ Integrated Level: Efficient BoD and EM teams in the SME

➍ Controlling Level: Effective supervision within the SME

For the recommendations use link: http://www.google.it/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=best%20practice%20in%20sme%20recommendations%20for%20the%20direction%20and%20control%20of%20small%20and%20medium-sized%20enterprises&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kmu.admin.ch%2Fpublikationen%2Findex.html%3Flang%3Dit%26download%3DNHzLpZeg7t%2Clnp6I0NTU042l2Z6ln1ah2oZn4Z2qZpnO2Yuq2Z6gpJCDeH94hGym162epYbg2c_JjKbNoKSn6A–&ei=LZBOT7SlOIvsOYP52cEC&usg=AFQjCNE-5AQBJW-qwgNDKWD37CjbvKp3Hg&sig2=4rUv1cv8_H0Ohq3Sdm3oQg

GRTU is organising an information session during which the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) will give a short presentation on support/ schemes for businesses to help them employ.

 Contact: Abigail at GRTU on 21232881/3 or by email on to reserve a seat

ETC aims to give a helping hand to businesses by subsidising of providing employment without any costs incurred. This means you can employ someone and the full wage is covered by the ETC. During the meeting the topics presented will be:

Employment Aid Programme: supports employers to recruit disadvantaged persons (youths who have not had their first regular employment, persons absent from work and education for 2 years, Any person living as a single adult looking after dependants, Any person who has not attained upper secondary level qualifications and who has been made redundant in the past six months, Any person older than 50 who does not have a job or who is losing his or her job, person with disability). Employers will receive a subsidy equivalent to 50% of the wage costs i.e. half the basic salary excluding bonuses, allowances, commission or overtime together with half the employer's national insurance.

Training Aid Framework: Financial assistance to those companies that invest in the training of their workforce. Training can be in-house or out-sourced and can be given in Malta or abroad through distance learning. The Training can be a course at the University of Malta or at a foreign university. The training can even lead to a PhD. Self-employed persons are eligible.

Work Trial Scheme: The scheme offers businesses the opportunity to evaluate a potential employee prior to employment, facilitating prospective recruitment. 20 hours of work exposure per week, for a maximum of 12 weeks in exchange of work exposure. The advantage to train and mould a potential employee's attitude and behaviour in conformance with the organizational culture. No financial costs are incurred by the employer during the training period, giving them the opportunity to overcome the skills gap by getting jobseekers' skills in line with needs of the company prior committing to employ.

Bridging the gap: The employer interviews and selects the client. The employer will be free from obligation such as National Insurance contributions, wages and sick leave benefits. The employer will have the support of the ETC officials throughout this work-exposure phase.

Recruitment Services / Open days / participation in job fairs

NEW Employers' Services department

The CE marking website is now online. Through this website the European Commission provides a one-stop-shop for information in 24 languages.Manufacturers, importers, distributers, and consumers can find all the necessary information about CE marking regulations, directives, standards and useful contact points in each EU Member State.The website guides manufacturers through the process of affixing the CE marking to a specific product, by clearly illustrating the key steps to undertake. Distributors or importers can also find useful information.

Background:

The CE marking is required for many product categories. It indicates that the product meets the requirements of the relevant legislation.

For more information please see CE marking website:

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/single-market-goods/cemarking/index_en.htm