UĦM Voice of the Workers refers to the editorial of the Times of Malta entitled ‘Joining a union: right not obligation’ and wishes to make some clarifications.

Josef Vella, chief executive of UĦM Voice of the Workers, underlined the fact that not all workers or those individuals who are entering the labour market must join a union to seek employment or new jobs.

The union affirms that employees and those who are commencing work must decide: do they want to join a union? If the answer is yes, then they have to join a union of their choice; if the answer is no, then we are saying that instead of paying a membership fee to a union, workers can contribute to a national fund intended to train workers.

UĦM Voice of the Workers argues that, in this way, abuse by free riders can be controlled.

The UĦM portrays free riders as those individuals who do not want to form part of a union, but when trade unions succeed in improving workers’ salaries, neither one of them comes to UĦM and offers his increase in salary to charity.

Workers in the labour market must contribute and participate in the social dialogue process. UĦM has, time and again, referred to Tripartite Social Dialogue, that is, the mechanism that addresses problems, particularly in the labour market. The government, employers and employees form part of this process and, hence, the three of them have to participate actively.

Those employers who did not form part of an association and those employees who did not form part of a union ended up embroiled in the issue of precarious work. They still came to the negotiating table during meetings conducted by the MCESD and imposed on government, employers and employees the need to solve a problem that was created by themselves.

Mr Vella emphasised that principles are not negotiable and are not for sale. The union believes in social dialogue and hence whoever is involved in it must participate in it. “Now choose how to participate: either by paying your membership fee in a union or else contribute to a national fund,” he stressed.