Vince Farrugia: MEA are simply ‘jealous… bonkers to withdraw from MCESD’

Farrugia said MEA’s director Joseph Farrugia was only showing his “petty jealousies” at not being appointed to the European Economic and Social Committee – a forum of civil society groups that consult with the EU at all levels – and that the MEA was “bonkers” to have withdrawn from the MCESD in protest.

The MEA claim they should be represented on the EESC's group 2, which is reserved for employers, and not the small business chamber GRTU.

Farrugia added that the MEA were not a registered employers’ organisation at law with the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, like the GRTU, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association or the Chamber of Commerce. “They are only recognised under the MCESD Act.”

Farrugia said that the GRTU cannot take its place at level three of the EESC, as demanded by the MEA, because level three is for NGOs and Malta is already represented there by the National Council for Women.

“Group 3 is for unorganised self-employed groups, but the GRTU has 7,000 employers. I hope he is not suggesting we are not an employers’ organisation. We are not considering taking the place of NGOs at the EESC,” Farrugia said.

“If MEA want to argue on this, they will have to raise a legal issue before the industrial tribunal… they would lose hands down, because 99.8% of Maltese business are micro and small enterprises.”

Farrugia also said the MEA has been represented at the International Labour Organisation because it is specialises in union and employer relations, and collective bargaining. “On the other hand, the GRTU, which is registered with the EU small business chamber EUAPME, are for employers whose employees are not unionised.”