Stronger leadership, more resources and a better balance of power between the social partners are necessary to improve the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, David Xuereb, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry says.

“The MCESD is the foremost institution for the conduct of social dialogue in the country and, as a leading social partner, the Malta Chamber of Commerce has always recognised the importance of this council through participating actively through its senior most officials,” he asserts.

Mr Xuereb recalls that the Chamber has been critical of the MCESD in the past on a number of levels. It feels the Council can operate better if it is re-dimensioned into a leaner plenary structure supported by technical committees and specialised resources that need to be employed to facilitate the necessary research.

To this end, he continues, the Chamber had proposed a similar model as the European Economic and Social Council, which has working groups and bureaus dedicated to employers, unions and civil society that feed the plenary. This would enable a more informed and structured dialogue process that would result in better efficiency and effectiveness, the Malta Chamber President argues.

“Besides, the constituted bodies need to be given more importance in decisions made about the MCESD because, after all, they are equal partners with the Government in social dialogue. Therefore, they should be more directly involved in the formulation of the agendas, the timing of discussions on key policy areas and, of course, the appointment of the Chairman,” Mr Xuereb insists.

The Malta Chamber joined the Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Malta Employers’ Association and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, which, on Wednesday, criticised the Government for appointing a new Chairman without consulting the MCESD members.

Former trade unionist James Pearsall will succeed John Bencini, another former trade unionist, as MCESD Chairman.

Mr Xuereb says the Malta Chamber feels there is room for improvement in terms of the proactiveness and effectiveness of the MCESD. “Stronger leadership, superior resource endowment and better balance of power between the social partners can contribute towards the desired improvements,” he asserted.

The issue of the MCESD being more proactive and relevant was raised by Carmelo Abela, Minister at the Office of the Prime Minister, a few days ago when addressing a Council meeting on the role of the social partners in the transformation of Malta into a digital economy.