Employer bodies insist trade union membership should not be mandatory

The Malta Employers' Association, The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, The Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises and The Malta Hotel and Restaurants Association on Friday reiterated their unwavering position that membership

By: independent.com.mt

Oct 04 2024
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Employer bodies insist trade u

Neither Government, nor employers, nor unions should ever force membership or non-membership on employees, the organisations said as the government plans to implement some form of mandatory union membership "well before" the end of its term in office, according to parliamentary secretary Andy Ellul.

This fundamental principle, protected by the Constitution of Malta and international conventions such as the United Nations Charter for Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights, ensures that no employee should ever be forced into union membership or prevented from joining a union, the employer bodies said.

Contrary to recent statements made by Government, the employer bodies wish to clarify that they have had no discussions or communications with Government regarding mandatory union membership and the models that were referred to by Parliamentary Secretary Andy Ellul

The bodies firmly reject, on principle, all models of mandatory unionisation mentioned by Hon. Ellul. Their position has always been consistent and this was clearly communicated to the government on the 16 March 2022.

The narrative that mandatory union membership is necessary to meet the targets set by the minimum wage directive is manifestly false, as the directive addresses coverage of collective bargaining and not union membership.

According to the membership figures which the unions themselves submit to the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations, Malta has one of the highest trade union density in the world. This fact is corroborated by figures published by the International Labour Organisation.

The employer constituted bodies reaffirm that they are against any form of exploitation of employees, be it Maltese or foreign workers. Malta's employment laws, if properly enforced, ensure that employees' rights are safeguarded and that employers operate on a level playing field.

The business community said is always supportive of proper enforcement of laws and measures which do not tamper with the fundamental principles of freedom of association and the right to organise of each and every individual.