Fault lines in bridges to Europe

Abstract

The shift to a European model of industrial and employment relations during the first ten years of EU membership continued to gather momentum. Through the updating of the Maltese labour law in order to conform to the EU Directives, the Maltese industrial and employment scenario moved closer to the ideals of the European social model. Nevertheless, in the transposition of the EU Directives into Maltese law, little heed was given to the substantive features. Moreover the policy of abolishing all existent practices of workers’ participation tends to diverge from the European social model. These are some of the visible fault lines in the bridges which have been built towards a more Europeanised system of employment and industrial relations.