Joseph Muscat, one of the candidates running for the Labour Party's top post, yesterday urged trade unions to start discussing the setting up of a trade unions' council in the best interests of workers and the country.

During separate meetings with the General Workers' Union and the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, Mr Muscat expressed his wish that trade unions in Malta would unite in order that workers' representatives would have a common voice on various issues that directly affect them.

Dr Muscat said the time was right for discussions on the matter to restart so that workers would be united on important national issues.

GWU general secretary Tony Zarb said his union had tried to set up such a council and had even invited foreign guests to speak about the subject, such as John Monks, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the UK between 1993 and 2003. The GWU was not to blame that the TUC had not been established.

On his part, UĦM general secretary Gejtu Vella said the Confederation of Maltese Trade Unions (CMTU) already serves as a TUC but the problem is that not all trade unions are affiliated with the CMTU. He also spoke about the attempt to agree on a social pact, saying the lack of one was "negative" for the country. "It's like we have many good musicians but we cannot sit together to play one tune like a fully-fledged orchestra."

During his meeting with the unions, Dr Muscat expressed his frustration that certain multinational companies investing in Malta are not treating their workers as they should.

He promised that if elected Labour leader, he would exert pressure on the government to put an end to the exploitation of workers.

Prior to the general election, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had mentioned tackling this problem as one of his new government's priorities, especially with regard to workers who are not offered indefinite contracts but engaged as self employed, so that they would not be entitled to employment benefits.

Dr Muscat also spoke about Dr Gonzi's idea that companies that ill-treat their workers would not qualify for government contracts.

He said that just like the Labour Party, trade unions should be more involved on a European level to protect workers' rights, especially in the light of three recent rulings by the European Courts of Justice, which went against workers' rights. This was unacceptable and the European Socialist Party (PES) and the European Trade Union Council (ETUC) were already taking steps in this regard.

Dr Muscat said the European Union issue is a closed chapter for the MLP which now has to broaden its vision, including on the EU. The MLP should become a "convinced, pro-EU party".

He promised that under his leadership, the MLP would have a "constant dialogue" with trade unions.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.