UHM welcomes PL's position in favour of union membership for forces of law and order

The Union Haddiema Maghqudin has welcomed the Labour Party’s position in favour of union membership for members of the police, the army, the civil protection and prison wardens.

It said in a statement it had been insisting for this since 2002, when the Industrial Relations and Employment Act was being amended.

It had even invited to Malta the chairman of the European Police Union and the secretary general of the Federation of Public Service Employees, who, together with the union, made pressure for the police to be given the right for association in a trade union.

The EPU chairman also held meetings with the police commissioner, the deputy Prime Minister, the chairman of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development to explain how unions abroad operators without placing their respective countries under pressure or danger.

As a follow up, the union had also had a meeting with the federation’s secretary general and it was still taking part in meetings at a European level.

Although this meant a change in local culture, the UHM believed the time had come for workers to also have the right to join a union for their work to be given more recognition and for their rights to be safeguarded.

The UHM was to continue working in all fora, both in Malta and abroad, for all Maltese workers to have the right for trade union association.