Rising tension fuelled by disputes over trade union recognition was not good news for workers, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat warned.

Any victory risked being a pyrrhic one, he said.

“The time is ripe for trade unions to draft a code of conduct which would establish how to go about such issues.”

The Prime Minister’s concerns echoed those raised recently by employers who complained they were bearing the brunt of such disputes, which often resulted in unnecessary industrial action.

Addressing the Forum Trade Unions Maltin AGM, Dr Muscat called for the creation of a trade union council – a “perfect forum” to solve disputes.

Even on minor issues such as Malta’s five representatives on the European Economic and Social Committee, unions consistently failed to agree, with the decision being taken by the government on behalf of the social partners.

He invited the unions to find common ground and come up with the names themselves.

The President of the Malta Union of Teachers, Kevin Bonello was elected president, succeeding Paul Pace.