Union Haddiema Maghqudin general secretary Josef Vella called on the Government to take a stand on people who abuse social benefits.

“Certain decisions need to be taken to ensure that people who abuse the system will not remain a burden on those who work and on society,” Mr Vella told Prime Minister Joseph Muscat during a courtesy visit at Castille this afternoon.

While emphasising that the union would always have a strong “social conscience” and that it would always help people in need, the time had come to stop covering for people who refused to work, he said.

Surrounded by the union’s various section secretaries, Mr Vella said they worked hard on the Jobs+ project, the union’s labour market policy that had been endorsed by the Government and social partners.

Dr Muscat welcomed the union’s executive and pointed out that he was very pleased with the relations with the two. “We might not always see eye-to-eye but our relations were always positive,” he said.

Referring to the Jobs+ policy, Dr Muscat said the document formed an important part of the Budget’s pedestal . “It’s not just a talking shop but an enormous amount of work was put into it to draw up strategies and policies.”

In fact, after a strong collaboration between various ministries, the first strategy would be rolled out in the upcoming Budget, which would also include the first batch of electoral promises, Dr Muscat said.