Study on social dialogue perceptions

Advocacy groups for disabled people need to set up an umbrella organisation to make themselves better heard, according to Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said.

He pointed out there were 70 such organisations at the last count, arguing this fragmentation worked against a proper platform for dialogue between these NGOs and the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development.

Although disabled people were technically represented on the council by the National Commission for Persons with a Disability, Dr Said complained this was not satisfactory as the commission was a government-founded body.

“In the committee of civil society, we are working to phase out organisations set up by the government and replacing them with organisations truly representing that sector,” he said.

Dr Said was speaking during a conference organised by the MCESD entitled Closer To Europe, which is part of an EU funded project aimed at helping Malta consolidate economic growth and social cohesion. The project includes research and an information campaign on social dialogue.

A survey to gauge perceptions on social dialogue in Malta would be conducted by the end of February, Dr Said added. “The government firmly believes in social dialogue and placed it on the national agenda,” he said, pointing out that 47 meetings of the MCESD were held between March 2008 and January 2011.

The council is a consultation body that brings together the government, employers and unions.