The government has no objection to a representation of the Forum, a gathering of Maltese unions, on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development.

But any change in the composition of the MCESD had to be unanimously agreed by all the social partners, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue Chris Said said.

In a letter to the Forum, Dr Said said that although the government did not object to the Forum’s representation, the current formation of the MCESD council had been unanimously agreed between the social partners so any changes also had to garner unanimous support.

The government, Dr Said said, would be acting in an arbitrary manner if it changed the law on the council’s composition without such agreement.

He reminded the Forum that it had not replied to repeated requests by Meusac to meet and agree on participation in the core group.

Meusac also had nine sectoral committees where consultation on particular proposals took place but many of the unions within the Forum opted not to be represented, even though these committees discussed matters which directly affected their members.