MEA expects admission on 'major blunder'

The appointment of Vince Farrugia as employers' representative on the Brussels-based European Economic and Social Committee was a major blunder that had to be rectified, the Malta Employers' Association said.

It called on the Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue, Chris Said to right the wrong "if he truly respects the functioning of social dialogue in Malta.

This should be the starting point of any attempts to reach a dignified and just solution on the issue."

The MEA accused Dr Said of misleading the public when he said he received three nominations for two employer positions on the EESC. As the parliamentary secretary responsible the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, he should know that on the MCESD there were four seats reserved to employers, another four seats allocated to unions and a separate seat to the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU, as the representative of self employed and small businesses.

It said the employer group submitted only two nomin-ations: Stefano Mallia and Lawrence Mizzi. It was the GRTU that proposed Mr Farrugia, its director general, the MEA said. It noted that the GRTU had insisted publicly (The Times, June 21) it did not part of the employers' group in the MCESD. "One cannot say one thing when it suits one and the opposite when it doesn't. No amount of fancy play with words can deny this argument," the MEA said.