Two employer organisations met last night to discuss their concerns over the Malta Employers’ Association’s recent decision to boycott the national social dialogue platform.

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry are now expected to come up with a common position on the issue that has led to a disagreement between the MEA and the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU.

All four organisations are members of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development – but its work is now under threat.

The MEA is claiming that the GRTU took its place on a Brussels-based civil society committee. It decided to boycott the MCESD after accusing the government of acting undemocratically when it picked GRTU director general Vince Farrugia to sit on the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

“We cannot have a situation where the MCESD cannot function,” MHRA president George Micallef said when contacted.

The issue was sparked off on Friday when the MEA declared it would be boycotting the MCESD after it felt it had again been overlooked when the Cabinet did not appoint its member to the EESC.

MEA director Joe Farrugia argued that the MEA was the biggest employers’ representative yet the government had appointed Vince Farrugia, from the GRTU, on the EESC to represent employers.

Malta can nominate five people – two from workers’ groups, two representing employers and one from civil society.

The EESC employers’ group is made up of entrepreneurs and representatives of entrepreneur associations working in industry, commerce, services and agriculture.

Employer representatives on the MCESD submitted the names of Lawrence Mizzi (MEA) and Stefano Mallia (Chamber of Commerce) to fill the employer seats. Vince Farrugia’s name was submitted by the GRTU itself.

The MEA is claiming the GRTU is not an employer representative on the MCESD. Yet the Cabinet chose to appoint Dr Mallia and Vince Farrugia.

As a result, the MEA is boycotting the MCESD until it is given a seat on the EESC.

Vince Farrugia has maintained that the GRTU is registered as an employer representative and this issue is nothing more than “petty jealousy”.

Public Dialogue Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said also said he considered the GRTU to be an employers’ group as specified in the Employment and Industrial Relations Act.

He said the two employer appointees were chosen according to their merits, adding he could not be drawn into the dispute between the MEA and the GRTU.

Dr Said does not plan to retract his decision but is willing to meet the MEA to discuss the best way the association could contribute in international fora.

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