Renee Laiviera regales us with a detailed feature on the right of freedom of movement for workers in the EU (December 28) but omits to mention that four EU citizens have petitioned the European Parliament that Malta’s social security law constitutes an impediment to freedom of such movement.

The petitions led to a European Commission infringement and a European Court case against Malta. Although the case was dismissed on a technicality, the judges indicated how the Commission can take the case back to the European Court.

The Commission, including its Advocate General, has declared that Malta’s social security deductions of the national insurance contributory pension in the case of those having a service pension from another EU country are illegal. The four petitioners waited 10 years for justice and it is now about time that the European Parliament and the Commission deliver to its citizens what it boasts of on its website mission statement.

In an article entitled ‘Tonight’ (The Malta Independent, September 25, 1998), Joseph Muscat, in his capacity as deputy chairman of the Labour Youth Forum and an executive member of the Malta Labour Party, decried a number of past negative actions of his party, including “servicemen who had fully paid their social security contributions and were deprived of what they paid for”. A few years later, as Labour Party leader, he promised ex-RAF pensioners to resolve the service pension problem once in office as prime minister.

Perhaps it’s about time the Prime Minister keeps this promise and cleans out the Social Security Department of the social injustices and illegalities the Mintoff regime introduced.