Social partners insist on better resources for MCESD

Employers and trade unions sitting on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development yesterday agreed that the council needed better resources to be able to function.

Contacted following the resignation of MCESD chairman Victor Scicluna, officially announced by the government on Wednesday, representatives of trade unions and of the Federation of Industry said the MCSED had to be better equipped.

The General Workers' Union's general secretary, Tony Zarb, said Mr Scicluna always did his utmost.

"We were surprised by his resignation. One has to consider that in the four years he served as chairman he faced various hot issues," Mr Zarb said, adding that all social partners within the council agreed it needed more resources.

The general secretary of the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, Gejtu Vella said he strongly believed in the MCESD.

"It's an important instrument both on the economic as well as social fronts. It needs more resources. We believe so much in it that in our general conference next week we have a specific document, entitled Achieving Sustainable Economic Growth: The Need For Stronger Social Dialogue, specifically prepared for us by John C. Grech.

"The MCESD is an important instrument, but we have to move away from paying lip service to assuming responsibility for what everyone says and does, both within and outside the forum. The MCESD is in a process of change just like the country," Mr Vella said.

FOI president Adrian Bajada said talks within the MCESD always had a degree of influence on the social partners and, though it might appear that nothing was happening, something positive always came out of the discussions.

"The council needs more resources, primarily human resources, to be able to draw up position papers and keep social partners informed about what's going on. The council could do much more if it had more resources. I have no doubt that Mr Scicluna suffered as a result of a chronic shortage of resources," Mr Bajada said.

In his letter of resignation to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi dated February 27, Mr Scicluna said that after four years leading the council he felt it would be better if the reigns were handed over to somebody else.

In his reply the following day, the Prime Minister accepted the resignation but asked Mr Scicluna to occupy the post until the government identified someone else "for this sensitive post".