Finally, after so much dragging of feet, a confederation of 11 trade unions is to be allowed to take a seat in the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, a consultative body that is invariably in the news only when differences of opinion arise between the social partners and the government. The story of how and why the confederation, Forum, has been excluded from the council has more than one side to it but it looks as if the passage of time has now healed the wounds that had arisen out of its creation.
What is particularly interesting is that, after so much delay in allowing the confederation to take part in the council, the government is now going a step further by proposing that, besides the confederation, Gozo and civil society too are represented on the MCESD. Indeed they should. A council widely representative of Maltese society would be in a better position to transmit the national sentiment and concerns to the Administration.
Particularly intriguing, however, is the government’s sudden shift in its stand following the Forum’s acceptance as a member of the European Trade Union Confederation. It is not without justification either that the government’s motive may be judged to be one of political convenience. Forum has 12,000 members.
The fact is that a lot of time has been spent on dissension over the council’s constitution when this could have been more beneficially utilised for the finding of ways and means to overcome problems in the island’s social and economic development. It is all very well to have a council as widely representative of society as possible but what counts most now is its effectiveness.
Social partners have often expressed disappointment over lack of consultation by the Administration on matters of direct interest to the council, as they did, for instance, when the government had first slashed the subsidy on energy tariffs. For the council to be effective, the government would have to play its role to the full.
On their part, the social partners would have to give greater weight to the national interest than to that of their respective organisations. It is never easy to do this in councils of this nature and few would expect any miracles in attitudes.
Whether it likes it or not, the General Workers’ Union, for example, is identified with the interests of the party in opposition, the Labour Party, and its actions, both inside and outside the council, may be influenced by its political commitment. Others may see the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin as some sort of a counterweight, in the sense that it is identified with the interests of the Nationalist Party.
To what extent are these interests bound to balance each other by the acceptance of the new confederation? Time will tell but it would be a pity if, now that the council’s membership is going to be expanded, an effort is not made to revamp its operations, making it more effective and, even more importantly, credible.
There is much that ought to receive its close attention as the country moves on to keep up with the challenges being thrown its way by the fast-changing developments across Europe. If representation in the council ought to mean anything, it should, above all, translate itself into a useful contribution to the promotion of the common wealth, not to sectoral interests. There is another point worth considering. Its work ought to be more widely publicised.