The Forum of Trade Unions has backed a call for an urgent meeting of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development to discuss the revised water and electricity rates. The social partners who sit on the council said last week they wanted to discuss the utility tariffs and find a way of easing the impact on workers and industry.

Each of the council's members has to be contacted individually before deciding whether to convene or not. The revised rates, announced a week ago, were described as exaggerated by the forum. "The new high rates will cause job losses and price rises because business cannot absorb the new costs. This all means we will go through a long period of uncertainty and the recession will drag on for longer than expected," it said.

The forum, which is not represented on the council, also reiterated its plea to be given a seat on the MCESD.