Government chickened out of discussing tariffs – Labour MP
The Labour Party’s spokesman for Social Dialogue and Civil Society, Gino Cauchi, yesterday accused the government of “once again taking the social partners for a ride” by failing to discuss the new utility tariffs as promised before Budget 2010.
“Yet again, Lawrence Gonzi’s administration chose to discard consultation and dialogue in order to use the weapon of imposition instead,” Cauchi said. “A few weeks ago, before announcing Budget 2010, the government promised the members of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) that, once it was notified of the Resources Authority’s decision regarding the new water and electricity tariffs, it would discuss the new tariffs with the MCESD before making them public. But nothing of this took place.”
Instead, the Labour MP argued, government announced the new tariffs without any consultation with the social partners.
“Not only that, but up until two hours before the new tariffs were announced on Monday, the members of MCESD were in a meeting with parliamentary secretary (for dialogue) Chris Said, and yet nothing was said about what was about to happen just a few hours later.”
According to Cauchi this was the second time the social partners were taken for a ride, after the same tariffs were similarly raised without consultation towards the end of last year.
“Government is obliged to explain why it avoided discussing these new tariffs with the social partners as promised, to the extent that now, the same social partners are demanding an urgent MCESD meeting about the utility tariffs, because they are very concerned about the social and economic effect they will have on the country.”
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