Forum claims it is being muzzled

An umbrella organisation of 12 unions is claiming the government is muzzling it by continuing to exclude it from the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, which is due to discuss the Budget.

Forum general secretary Paul Pace said the government was silencing both the Forum and the unions it embraced by barring them from taking part and expressing their views in the discussions.

He referred to statements by other social partners last week who complained that the government was clearly not taking them seriously when it only set two meetings with the constituted bodies to discuss the Budget.

The social partners that sit on the MCESD, were last week informed the council would convene twice to discuss the forthcoming Budget, expected to be presented by the Finance Minister later this month.

They said two meetings were not enough and a far cry from the marathon meetings held prior to the 2010 Budget, which then saw the majority of the social partners welcoming measures with open arms. They said they were still in the process of putting across their proposals.

The government said more meetings would be held if need be.

Mr Pace said these social partners should console themselves that, at least, they would be participating in two meetings, unlike Forum, which was left out of the council altogether.

“Forum is still being muzzled. In 2010, the government is still practising politics of exclusion and exclusivity to the detriment of 11 unions representing nurses, teachers, University academics, bankers, pilots, cabin crew and other workers.

“These workers do not exist in the government’s eyes and do not have the right to give their constribution like other social partners,” he said.

The Labour Party also criticised the government for setting just two meetings to disucss the proposals.

Party spokesman for social dialogue, Gino Cauchi said the government had not kept its promise of keeping the social partners informed about the implementation of the last Budget and was not consulting them enough about the forthcoming one. Moreover, the government was continuing to resist the inclusion of Forum on the MCESD.

Mr Cauchi is the MP who, in July, presented a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament calling for an amendment to the MCESD law to allow Forum to join.