The Forum Unions Maltin will tomorrow attend its first Malta Council for Economic and Social Development meeting as a full member.

The legal notice declaring Forum an MCESD member was published in last Friday’s Government Gazette, ending the confederation’s eight-year ordeal to get a seat.

Forum is a confederation of 11 unions, which represent a total of 12,000 workers, including the Malta Union of Teachers and the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses.

Other members range from university academic staff and aircraft engineers to Central Bank employees and public service architects.

At tomorrow’s meeting social partners will discuss the pension reform.

Forum’s general secretary Paul Pace, who will join union president John Bencini to represent the confederation at meetings, was pleased Forum got what it deserved in the end.

“It was a long road. It took eight years to get here and a lot of personal harassment and sacrifices on the way. But the outcome was positive and we look forward to contributing to the best of our ability,” he said yesterday.

He expressed his appreciation to all those who offered their genuine support in the past years for Forum to become a council member.

The confederation spent years complaining it was being muzzled by being left out of the consultative council. During this time, the government insisted changes to MCESD’s composition had to take place by consensus.

However, the government’s stance shifted in March after Forum was recognised on an international level and accepted as a member of the European Trade Union Confederation.

This reality, Dr Gonzi said at the time, had to be addressed.

Despite the lack of consensus, the government forged ahead and proposed amendments to the MCESD law. Apart from Forum, representatives of Gozo and civil society will also sit on the council.