Delegates from the Executive Committee of Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday met with representatives of Union Haddiema Maghqudin at the union offices at Floriana to discuss matters of mutual interest and to exchange views on the current industrial issues.

AD chairman Harry Vassallo said that such meetings with civil society entities were a regular practice which Alternattiva Demokratika valued highly.

“There is nothing better than meeting face to face from time to time in order to discuss situations as they arise.

“Such meetings also allow us an informal exchange of views on specific disputes which are in the media such as the situation at the Law Courts and that of Air Malta employees transferred wholesale with the sale of the Crowne Plaza Hotel,” Dr Vassallo said.

“Civil society organisations such as trade unions should also have the opportunity to exchange views with political parties on their perspective of the political and economic situation,” Dr Vassallo said. “In every case such meetings have been of great value to Alternattiva Demokratika which will always give weight to stakeholder opinions in forming its policies.

The opportunity to make constructive criticism of one another’s performance is as well appreciated as the courtesy made to us by UHM in hosting this meeting,” Dr Vassallo added.

“For the past several years, trade unions have had a bad press and sometimes they have earned it,” Dr Vassallo said.

“Their ability to defend workers’ rights has been eroded and sometimes because of ill-advised industrial actions.

“If workers are made to lose faith in their unions for whatever reason, we can expect a general deterioration of working conditions and the loss also of the minimal safeguards which we have every reason to regard as basic and the foundation of industrial peace in the country,” Dr Vassallo added.

“Unions have a new role to play in developing new strategies to safeguard workers’ rights in new situations allowing greater flexibility in the workplace while ensuring respect for workers’ quality of life,” Dr Vassallo said.

“Both unions and political parties have a responsibility to encourage new developments as well as to point out shortcomings. It is not enough to have paper institutions on safety at work or nominal support for the unemployed.

Both unions and political parties are duty-bound to keep such institutions under scrutiny to ensure that they are able to serve the purposes for which they are set up,” Dr Vassallo said.