The Prime Minister yesterday kicked off a campaign to “listen to people’s concerns” by meeting Forum, a confederation of trade unions that has long been protesting its exclusion from a council where social partners air their views.

Forum has for the past few years campaigned to be part of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development. The thorny issue is unresolved, with the government insisting it will only change the MCESD’s composition if all members agreed – no consensus currently exists.

But at the end of yesterday’s meeting, Forum president John Bencini said the government had “understood better” the confederation’s request to contribute further to the country’s wellbeing by becoming a member of MCESD.

The meeting was “cordial and good”, Mr Bencini said, interpreting what he described as “government’s better understanding” as a sign that it was committed to solve the impasse.

“The impression we got is that as much as possible government wants to solve this today before tomorrow,” Mr Bencini said.

The meeting with Forum was the first in the Nationalist Party’s series of dialogue meetings with civil society. It started with an informal chat over coffee at the Valletta offices of AŻAD, the PN’s academy for political education.

PN leader Lawrence Gonzi was accompanied by MEP Simon Busuttil, his “special delegate” tasked with coordinating the initiative, which Dr Gonzi announced at last month’s PN extraordinary general conference just after being confirmed leader. With the media allowed in for the first few minutes, Dr Gonzi described the meeting with Forum as “symbolically important” and acknowledged its contribution to society.

The Forum meeting was followed by another one with the manag-ement of Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital for which Health Minister Joe Cassar was also present. No part of this meeting was open to the media.

But as the Forum delegation exited, Dr Cassar jokingly turned to Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses president Paul Pace, a member of Forum, and asked him to pose with him for the cameras.

The two have been at loggerheads after the MUMN refused to join a task force appointed by government to solve the bed shortage crisis at Mater Dei hospital.

A third meeting was then held with Monti hawkers. Each meeting lasted some 45 minutes.