Forum demand consultation on Budget

Forum, a confederation of 11 trade unions, has asked to be consulted in the run-up to this year’s Budget, even though it is not part of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development.

Forum made the appeal after Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said in the pre-Budget 2011 document, released last week, there was need to consolidate investment in the health and education sectors.

Forum said it was ironic it was still excluded from the MCESD, which helped decide the direction the country would take, considering it consisted of a number of unions representing workers from the health and education sectors. It said the government should stop practising “exclusivity and exclusion” politics.

A strong emphasis on education and health was made in the pre-Budget document. Its emphasis was on the social rather than the economic aspect and this to ensure that no one was left behind as the economy returned to growth, Mr Fenech said when the document was released.

He said the government was considering a number of initiatives to ensure employers found the trained workers they needed. These included further schemes to encourage workers to train in new sectors.

The pre-Budget document discusses ways to consolidate and strengthen the funding of the health sector and the better use of human resources.

Forum has for long been arguing it should have a place on the MCESD. The government has insisted that the social partners forming part of the council have to unanimously agree to accept Forum as a member. Some members of the council, however, opposed such a move.