Bulldozing the commission

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has called on Labour to start participating in the Welfare Reform Commission. This appeal is worth considering in the historical context of this commission.

Dr Gonzi formed the commission, chaired by former Central Bank governor Anthony Galdes, during the past legislature.

Practically all social partners, with the exception of the opposition, accepted to participate in its work.

It met a number of times and issued an inconclusive interim report which reflected in attitude, rather than in content, the way the discussion was developing within the commission itself. Notwithstanding this, the commission continued with its meetings.

Then, along came Finance Minister John Dalli who, in his usual "diplomatic" style, set out his own welfare reform plan in a report he dished out to the social partners on the eve of his budget speech in November 2001. That plan spoke of a number of major reforms, especially in the health sector and the national insurance system. Mr Dalli flatly declared the government would be implementing his welfare reform plan.

The social partners who, for months, had been discussing within the commission what type of reform should be carried out were flabbergasted. They did not know anything about Mr Dalli's plans and said they did not seem congruent with the discussions they were having within the commission.

A heated commission meeting followed. Both Mr Dalli and Dr Gonzi, who had been seriously wrong-footed by his party leadership rival, attended the meeting. The result was the resignation of Mr Galdes a few weeks later.

Mr Galdes did not beat around the bush. He made it clear he was quitting because of Mr Dalli's moves.

After waiting for some time, the government appointed KPMG's Joe Schembri to head the commission. We have now learnt that the commission has never met since this new appointment. Nevertheless, there are persistent rumours that a report is to be published soon.

The issue was allowed to fade away during the electoral campaign, only to be revived by the finance minister just after the general election. Mr Dalli was clear. The government will be implementing major changes in the pension system. He described these changes as "unpopular".

Understandably, the social partners participating in the commission were not particularly pleased. Both the Confederation of Maltese Trade Unions and the General Workers' Union expressed their dismay at the fact that they knew nothing about these reforms despite being members of the commission. The pensioners' associations said they were never consulted. The CMTU revealed that the commission had never met under the new chairman.

This makes one seriously think about the relevance of this commission. More worrying is the fact that its members are simply being bulldozed by the old firm in the Nationalist government.

Mr Muscat is the MLP's education secretary