Grech says workers are overworked and underpaid, and says that government is hiding injustices

Leader of the Nationalist Party Bernard Grech said that workers must stop being overworked and underpaid as he slammed the government for constantly trying to hide these injustices and not improve workers’ conditions.

Grech was speaking during a protest where thousands gathered in Guardamangia in front of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) building and St Luke’s Hospital on Workers’ Day.

During his speech, Grech expressed his gratitude for workers whilst slamming PBS, the hospitals concession agreement and the government’s constant fight to hide the truth.

Grech began his speech by reminding everyone that May 1 marks the 19 year anniversary of Malta joining the EU, thanks to the PN.

He said that he is mentioning the EU because other people are trying to forget it, but “this was the dream of Eddie Fenech Adami.” He said that it was “shameful” that the PL did not even mention how this was the 19-year anniversary of Malta’s entry into the EU.

“We are here with a clear intention in front of St Luke’s Hospital, which has become the symbol of the largest fraud that took place in Malta, and we are here in front of the propaganda machine of Robert Abela.”

Grech mentioned several different professions and expressed his gratitude for the work that they do.

When speaking about PBS, Grech said that it does not report accurately and that it paints an overly nice picture of Malta without mentioning all the scandals.

Later in his speech, he said that PBS is run by a person close to Robert Abela so that he could hide all the scandals for Abela’s government. Grech said that it is no surprise that he gets paid double for carrying out the same work, which was a reference to what The Shift revealed last week.

“How can I not shout, how can we not be angry?”

Speaking about the increased cost of living, he noted that it has now surpassed 7%. He described this as the largest burden on the worker, and even the pensioner who spent their whole life working cannot keep up with Malta’s cost of living.

“You should also refund the millions you pigged out on for the past 10 years,” Grech added.

Whilst workers have been combatting the high cost of living, Grech said that Abela continues to import foreign workers and added that over 100,000 workers have been imported over the last 10 years.

Grech pointed out how this was due to a lack of planning from the government’s end. He said that if the PN was in power, people can be sure that it would not abuse workers’ rights.

“This is not acceptable,” he said when speaking about foreign workers who are overworked and underpaid. Grech said that the PN’s vision is “upskilling and reskilling” the workers in Malta.

“We don’t want the worker to only live to work, we want them to live.”

When speaking about getting taxed on the COLA, Grech said: “This is Robert Abela, he robs you with one hand, and hands you a cheque with another.”

Over the last ten years, Grech said, the government has continued pigging out, it has continued to try to hide the past, and it has tried to alienate the people by introducing abortion in Malta.

When talking about the “fraudulent” hospitals concession agreement, he said that the government sold these hospitals to thieves. Although the people in government knew that Vitals Global Healthcare were thieves, the government continued giving them money to steal.

He took the opportunity to thank PN MP and former party leader Adrian Delia for opening the case against this agreement.

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri and former Health Minister Konrad Mizzi all knew that Vitals were thieves, Grech said, however, they still chose to ask for the blessing of the Cabinet.

Ultimately, he said that when a private company is allowed to steal millions to make the few rich, it is the worker that suffers.

Abela has said that he had no idea that all this was going on, Grech pointed out, even though he was the legal consultant of the cabinet who gave the blessing so that Stewards Healthcare could take over instead of Vitals. “Robert Abela, you are an accomplice.”

PBS is also an accomplice for refusing to report properly on this scandal, Grech added.

When mentioning Daphne Caruana Galizia, he said that even after her death they still try to hide the truth. “Today or tomorrow, the truth will come out.”

He said that it is no surprise that thousands of people stayed home during the 2022 general elections, as people have lost hope.

Grech said that although Muscat helped Abela become Prime Minister, now he pretends not to have anything to do with Muscat. However, Grech said that the PN will not forget that Abela had this link.

“You should be ashamed of yourself [for] still hiding the truth,” Grech said when referring to Abela, who has constantly refused a public inquiry into the death of 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia, who died after a building collapsed on him at a construction site in Kordin.

It was the Police Commissioner who ordered Jean Paul Sofia’s friend to be arrested for putting up a banner asking for justice, Grech said.

When talking about the health sector, he asked listeners to imagine what the PN could do if it were in government, considering it got the hospitals back from the Opposition. He said that they would bring St Luke’s Hospital back and also build a new hospital in Gozo.