Employers against compulsory union membership

Employer organisations have come out against a suggestion for mandatory union membership for workers and an obligation on companies to join employer associations. 

The Malta Employers’ Association, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association insisted today that compulsory membership diminished individual freedom.

They were reacting to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s statement in Parliament this week, urging a discussion on the possibility of introducing mandatory unionisation for workers and membership in employer associations for companies.

A proposal for mandatory union membership was made by the General Workers’ Union in the run-up to the budget.

The three leading employer bodies said the decision to join a union or employer body should be left entirely up to the individual employee or company to decide.

“The right to freedom of association is enshrined in ILO directives, and the freedom of association implies also the freedom to disassociate oneself from either a trade union or employer organisation. Compulsory membership does not add to anyone’s rights,” the three organisations said.

The employer bodies said that according to the trade unions’ annual declarations to the Registrar of Trade Unions at the Department for Employment and Industrial Relations, Malta has among the highest rate of unionised employees in the EU.

“This is a clear indication that employees are not hindered in any way from becoming trade union members if they see value in such affiliation,” the organisations said, adding the right of association is enshrined in law.