Mr Vassallo,
Mrs Vassallo,
Directors
Members of the staff
I was asked to say a few words in English in respect for the workers who do not understand the Maltese language.
So first of all, let me start by thanking the Directors of the company for this invitation to meet with you on the premises. I had been scheduled to hold this visit earlier this year, but plans had to be rescheduled to keep in line with COVID restrictions.
However, I am pleased to finally be here and to witness the level of attention and the standards that you all dedicate to your work. During these visits, I always point out that you all form part of a chain – every part of which is indispensable and without which the final product would not materialise.
When one looks at the way this enterprise has developed since its creation in 1969, one fully appreciates the efforts made along the decades for it to nowadays be regarded as a leading actor in this particular line of industry.
I am sure that this has entailed continuous investment in equipment, in techniques and, not less, in human resources.
Attention to high standards and quality is what keeps any given enterprise an edge above the others. I encourage the Management to keep up its competitive pace by always injecting new ideas in the company’s physical and human assets to ensure that the final product is satisfactory and, above all, safe.
I equally emphasise the need for all of you to be kept safe during your hours of work, on your place of work, and to ensure that all occupational health and safety standards are observed at all times.
In this setting, I also underline my appreciation of the technical and vocational skills which enable you to carry out your work so diligently.
Your knowledge and experience have a place and value in our society, which in my view has been underestimated along the years. Our community needs your labour skills, as much as it needs the professional knowledge of the doctor, the manager, the teacher, and other academicians.
I strongly encourage the growth of this sort of training and vocational formation as the basis of a functioning and diversified economy and urge each and every one of you to keep on learning and sharpening your skills.
I take this opportunity to thank all of you for the contribution you make to our country’s economic growth through your hard work and through your commitment to the job. I also address these words to the many foreign nationals among us today, who may have for different reasons chosen Malta as their adoptive home, and express my hope that you all feel valued and welcome among us Maltese.
We all know that the past year and a half have been very challenging because of the COVID pandemic, which caused disruptions to the market, the labour force, prices, and our daily routines. We now seem to have taken a slightly positive turn, which if we all remain cautious, should lead us back to a sense of normality.
From the human perspective, some of you may also have been restricted from travelling back to your homelands and meet with your families abroad. We all had to sacrifice one thing or the other and need to remain vigilant, take the vaccine and cooperate with the health authorities so that we do not go through these experiences again.
This was also a difficult year for the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation, which saw its funding drastically reduced because events had to be cancelled or postponed. We are now trying to catch up with what was lost and are organising events which the general public traditionally links to L-Istrina towards the end of the year.
I invite you and your families to join us in our efforts to help out those who need it most, especially vulnerable patients who require cancer treatment abroad.
In this spirit, I wish to heartily thank the Directors of JMV Ltd for the very generous support they continue to give, and which they have always given, to the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation, which I assure you, is put to very good use and is always greatly appreciated.
I thank you very much.