In its proposals to Brussels for the five people to represent Malta at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the government has left former GRTU director general Vince Farrugia, and the GRTU as a whole, off the list.

Mr Farrugia’s continued representation of Maltese employers on the EESC has been a perennial bone of contention, a situation which came to a head last April when the courts ruled that the former union leader could be charged with perjury in relation to his now infamous incident with former union council member Sandro Chetcuti.

At the time, the Malta Employers’ Association (MEA), which had opposed Mr Farrugia’s original appointment to the committee in 2010, called for the immediate resignation of Vince Farrugia as Malta’s representative on the EESC.

Mr Farrugia’s original appointment in 2010 had been considered highly controversial, with many having labelled it a political manoeuvre.   At the time, the MEA had said it was unacceptable for the MEA not to be represented on the EESC, pointing out that Malta’s delegation has two positions open for employers’ representatives, two for trade unions and one for civil society.

The Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) had also disagreed with the government’s appointment, expressing the same views as the MEA.

MHRA and UHM get seats, MEA snubbed again

But while the government has nominated MHRA president Tony Zahra to the EESC, the MEA has, once again, been snubbed.

There have, in fact, been a number of replacements proposed by the government for Malta’s 2015-2020 line-up – the current government’s only shot to appoint representatives to the committee, with the next proposed appointments not due until September 2020.

For starters, the GRTU will no longer represent employers, or any other sector in the new line-up. Stefano Mallia, although no longer serving as Chamber president, stays on as the second employers’ representative.

As far as employees’ representatives are concerned, the Confederation of Maltese Trade Unions representative Anna Maria Darmanin has been replaced by the MHRA’s Tony Zahra, while the GWU’s representative Charles Vella remains.

In terms of civil society’s representation, Grace Attard from the National Council for Women is being replaced by Ben Rizzo, Malta Council for Economic and Social development Civil Society Committee President.

Malta’s EESC members 2010-2015

Employers’ representatives

Vince Farrugia – GRTU                                             

Stefano Mallia – Malta Chamber of Commerce Vice President

Employees’ representatives

Anna Maria Darmanin – Confederation of Maltese Trade Unions                        

Michael Parnis (later replaced by Charles Vella) – General Workers’ Union

Civil Society

Grace Attard – National Council for Women                             

Malta’s EESC members 2015-2020

Employers’ representatives

Stefano Mallia – Malta Chamber of Commerce former president

Tony Zahra – Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association President

Employees’ representatives

Charles Vella – General Workers’ Union

Philip von Brockdorff –Union Haddiema Maghqudin

Civil Society

Ben Rizzo – Malta Council for Economic and Social development Civil Society Committee President