Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today that he dreamed of seeing the creation of a Trades Union Council that would group Malta's trade unions.

He was speaking at the opening session of the GWU's General Congress, which is the highpoint of activities marking the union's 70th anniversary.

The session also heard speeches by Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and GWU General Secretary Tony Zarb.

At the opening of his address Dr Busuttil, in a light vein, said Dr Muscat had told him not to leave if the delegates did not applaud. But it was a good start that there had been some applause. 

He said this was the first time he addressed the GWU congress and was grateful for the invite. He believed that unions were an important social force.

He believed that unions were most effective when they operated autonomously without political ties and in the interest of workers.

In the past, he said, the PN and GWU did not always agree, but this should not stop them from respecting each other's role and working together on common issues, such as the workers' interests.

The Opposition, he said, continued to have job creation as a pillar of its policies. The Government had not drawn up a plan for the creation of jobs, and the Opposition expected concrete measures in the upcoming Budget.

Dr Busuttil was followed by Dr Muscat, who received much louder applause than Dr Muscat.

Dr Muscat said the generation of wealth and creation of jobs were crucial. The Government wanted to ensure that workers had more money in their pocket. One way of doing this was by reducing prices for government services, of which the most important were the water and energy tariffs from March.

Over the next months, the Government would see the results of the Air Malta restructuring plan. The Government had inherited this plan and its management from the previous Government. When the management's term ended in a few months' time, the Government would take stock of the situation to ensure that those employed with generous salaries delivered what they were meant. He hoped that they would live up to their commitment.

In terms of employment Malta was doing well but it could do better. In the next budget there will be several measures to address deficiencies even though the government could not promise magic formulae. 

These measures would address the guarantee of employment for young people promised by the Labour Party, and encourage women into the labour market.

Dr Muscat said his dream was to see more dialogue between unions and see the setting up of a Trades Unions Council.

He condemned precarious work and said some practices would no longer be tolerated. He mentioned a case, recently brought to his attention, of WasteServ employees with different work conditions to their colleagues because their skin was a different colour.

Mr Zarb said that whenever the PN was in government, the GWU was under attack. For 25 years the Government turned down the GWU's offer to help. He insisted that, today, the Nationalist Party was asking workers to stay away from the GWU, even though this was denied several times.

He backed up this argument with two vague examples - a meeting with an Arriva worker and a discussion "in a bar during a feast". He did not elaborate but said that those who were aware would understand.

He announced that since January the GWU attracted 2,740 new members and 165 students joined during freshers' week at University.

The union, he said, was now also the largest union at BOV.

He said he was ready to cooperate with other trade unions.

It was positive to hear Dr Busuttil say he was willing to work with the union but, he said, he first wanted to see more proof that the PN was serious about this.