The UHM has appealed to the government to take immediate decisions to stop the harm to the economy from the Panama scandal. At the same time, the second largest Maltese union accused the Office of the Prime Minister of trying to muzzle criticism coming from social partners.

Addressing a press conference to announce that the UHM and its members will be attending the second PN national protest against corruption, UHM President Josef Vella said that social partners have the moral duty to attend and protest as the situation in the country is fast degenerating.

Referring to blogs coming out from officials of the OPM, Mr Vella said that it was not acceptable in a democracy that unions and social partners who criticised the government were repeatedly attacked and denigrated.

“We really have a problem of good governance if the OPM is now orchestrating attacks on social partners for the simple reason that they openly criticise the government,” he said.

Referring to the Panama scandal, Mr Vella said that the Prime Minster should take the necessary decisions to stop the bleeding.

“It cannot be that decisions by the Prime Minster are taken at such a late stage depending on opinion polls. This is a wrong attitude and the country should not continue to suffer because the government allows the situation to grow before it finds the courage to take a decision which everyone is expecting,” he said.

The UHM President said that while the union was always in favour of workers should paying all taxes, it could not allow a situation where a Minister opened a financial vehicle in Panama and the government treated this as if nothing happened.

“Please be serious and desist from treating workers as fools”, Mr Vella appealed.