Chamber and MHRA join forces to say Vince Farrugia ‘does not represent us’

“The two employer bodies feel that of the two nominations, only (Stefano) Mallia represents the employer group,” the Malta Chamber and MHRA insisted in their joint statement.

However, they have refrained from suspending their participation in the MCESD, Meusac and the Employment Relations’ Board as the MEA have done to protest at the lack of consultation by Government over Farrugia’s nomination.

The Malta Chamber and the MHRA have called on Government to “address the situation and ensure that the representatives nominated on the EESC do in fact represent their correct sectorial interests in the correct EESC groupings.

To this extent, the Malta Chamber and MHRA were “of the same view as the MEA” and were of the opinion that “any GRTU nomination for the EESC should be allocated to Group III” (Self-Employed) rather than to Group 2, which includes employers.

In this regard both employers’ organisations insisted that, “given the interests represented by the GRTU, it would be well suited for the GRTU to have a representative in Group III”.

They explained how according to the EESC’ official structure, the Employers’ Group (Group I), was made up of entrepreneurs and representatives of entrepreneurial associations supporting employers in industry, commerce and services.

Group II referred to the Employees’ Group which typically was made up of trade unions.

On the other hand, Group III referred to Various Interest Groups, which included among others, small businesses and the crafts sector.

On Saturday, speaking exclusively to MaltaToday.com.mt, MEA Director-General Joe Farrugia had accused Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said of misinterpreting the nominations made by employers’ groups by saying that Farrugia was an representative of the employers.

“Chris Said is wrong when he is saying that he received two lists from the employers’ groups. There was only one list for employers as Farrugia’s list did not come from any of the recognised employers’ groups in Malta,” Farrugia had told MaltaToday.

“He is using this excuse to lump Farrugia’s nomination to the EESD on employers,” Farrugia had insisted.

Moreover, the Prime Minister “has not commented a single word” on the alleged agreement between GRTU and MEA, the MEA Director-General added.

Asked whether MEA was ready to enter into discussions with the Government, Farrugia had explained how the Association was ready to enter into discussion with the Government. “However the Government first has to recognise its mistakes,” he insisted.

In a statement issued earlier during the day, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Public Dialogue and Consultation had claimed that employers’ organisations on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) had failed to agree on submitting one list of nominees for appointment to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

One of these lists proposed Mallia from the Chamber of Commerce and Lawrence Mizzi from the Malta Employers’ Association (MEA); the other list proposed Farrugia.

The parliamentary secretariat had said the government “will try to find a solution to the dispute in any particular sector, where possible… government sees the MEA’s voice in MCESD to be in the national interest.”

On Friday, the MEA had announced that it was suspending its participation from all structures of social dialogue in which the Government was involved over Farrugia’s nomination to the despite the fact that the GRTU was not an employers’ organisation as prescribed by EESC rules.

On his part, GRTU director-general Vince Farrugia had brushed off accusations by the MEA that his nomination to the EESC was‘illegal’.

Farrugia had insisted MEA director-general Joseph Farrugia was only showing his “petty jealousies” at not being appointed to the EESC, and that the MEA was “bonkers” to have withdrawn from the MCESD in protest.