9 - 15 March 2000

Budget agreement next week

by Franco Aloisio

Reliable trade union sources have told The Malta Business Weekly that an agreement on the budget between the government and unions will be announced next week.

The government is at present holding discussions with the two major trade unions, the General Workers' Union and the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, over corrective measures which could be adopted in order to reduce the burden of the various budget measures introduced last November.

The last meeting held between the Prime Minister and UHM was a very positive one and the union's proposals were described by the government as "concrete." The UHM has over the last weeks been expressing its confidence that an agreement on the matter was possible.

However the GWU is less publicly positive about a solution and is still adamant that its proposals should be fully adopted by the government.

Both the UHM and the GWU have published reports on the impact of the budget measures on the workers and pensioners.