The Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin has expressed disappointment that only one of the four political parties referred to the role of unions in Maltese society in the electoral manifestos.

On the other hand, it is satisfied that a substantial number of the proposals the UĦM worked on over the last months have found their place in the electoral programmes of all the parties.

One party included 90 per cent of its proposals, with any one party including 76 per cent, it said.

UĦM secretary general Gejtu Vella would not be drawn into saying which parties the union was actually referring to.

"We are an independent union and do not wish to comment. We carried out our analysis and wanted to highlight the percentages but, because Malta is so highly politicised, we would rather stop short of mentioning the parties taking on our proposals," he told The Times.

The UĦM urged the quantification of every proposal so that its cost to the country would be known. Every proposal had to be socially just, it insisted. The strengthening of Malta's relationship with the EU had to remain at the heart of every programme, with the aim of grabbing every opportunity, the union said. It noted a number of points of convergence in the concepts behind the proposals of some political parties with those of the union.

The UĦM expressed the hope that whoever won the election would ensure a government for all Maltese and Gozitans despite the fact that, during the electoral campaign, the country was divided.