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As in previous sagas involving government dealings with workers’ unions that do not see red, it appears to follow the practice that pacifying the unions which seek to increase their members’ salaries through renewals of collective agreements will entail better and higher salaries for upcoming renewals.
In 991, after a Viking victory at Maldon, England, King Aethelred agreed to pay “Dane-geld”, a financial bribe to persuade the Danes to leave England.
They did but then they came back for more.
Rudyard Kipling wrote: “If once you have paid him the Dane-geld/ You will never get rid of the Dane.”
So, the government holds on to its horses for as long as possible.
Anthony Saliba – St Paul’s Bay
Mismatch conundrum
The University of Malta. Photo: Times of MaltaThe report about the labour/education mismatch conundrum (‘Education and jobs mismatch poses Malta’s “biggest economic challenge” – study’, October 21) makes for interesting reading.
At one end of the scale, one thinks of persons doing so-called “soft” degrees or otherwise not needed in the country. Or are there not enough decent jobs to support the education levels?
At the other end of the scale, unfortunately, there are so many positions now filled by people whose only ‘qualification’ is a brown nose.
Anna Micallef – Sliema
Preventing Gozo’s extinction
Memories never die away by time but may get stronger. Alfred Cauchi’s vision for Gozo is still held under the carpet. The tourism authorities in Gozo and in Valletta are still unaware of what’s happening in Gozo.
In Malta, within a stretch of seven kilometres, five hotels have recently increased their capacity to meet the flourishing foreign tourists coming to our shores while, in Gozo, past experience has shown the hotel industry has suffered a lot and is just surviving.
The answer is written on the wall: Gozo needs a new, true lifeline – a solid link with Malta, the mainland, to create sustainability and prevent the extinction of the Gozitan family and Gozo.
Victor Cauchi - Victoria