The Union Haddiema Maghqudin reacted to the Malta Labour Party’s proposal to grant the MCESD chairman Cabinet ranking by saying that if this happened, the much-needed independence of that person would be lost.

In a statement, the union said that it had analysed the Malta Labour Party’s proposal to grant the chairman of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development the right to be a member of the Cabinet. The UHM said that it wholeheartedly believed that the MCESD was an effective instrument that could bring about economic development and social protection. The UHM also believed that the MCESD was the ideal forum for constructive social dialogue.

The UHM said it believed that the MCESD chairman should be chosen by the Prime Minister after consulting the social partners. The UHM also said that the independence of the chairman was essential for the council to be able to reach its goals. The MCESD had a consultative role and therefore all final decisions should be taken by the government.

The UHM said that the chairman should be chosen according to criteria and capability in the spheres of economics and society, as well as being able to mediate in meetings which could be controversial. The UHM said the role of the chairman should be that of a moderator and a facilitator between the three parties – the employers, unions and the government.

If the chairman of the MCESD were to be given a role in Cabinet, the much-needed independence for that role would be lost. “The Cabinet of ministers is made up of people who are elected under the programme of a political party and therefore the chairman of the MCESD should not assume the responsibility of being the mouthpiece of the unions within Cabinet,” said the UHM.

In addition, said the union, the three already-mentioned parties needed to be on the same footing, adding that all of them needed to have the same rights, obligations and responsibilities. “None, at any moment in time, should have a dominant position over others,” said the union.

The UHM said it believed that the government representation on the MCESD needed to be strengthened, adding that experience showed that when a government minister was present, the council’s work was more productive and effective. The union also said that just as unions and employers’ organisations reported back to their own individual sections, the government representative who is in attendance should report back his or her findings to the Cabinet.

The UHM said the government should make the distinction between the administrative and political structure of the MCESD. In this way, just as much as the permanent secretary sits around the MCESD table in his administration capacity, the political side of things required the presence of a minister or junior minister. However, in certain cases, the government should seek the opinion of the chairman.