‘Good progress’ made in third MAM-government meeting, but industrial action still on the cards

Overall position is much better than last week’s - Fearne

A third meeting held between the Medical Association of Malta (MAM) and the government was described as positive by both the doctors’ association and Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, but the possibility of industrial action later on this week is still on the cards, MAM has said.

The association and the government have been at loggerheads ever since Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH) announced that it would be selling its 30year concession to US company Steward Healthcare after just 21 months, over what is believed to be mounting financial pressure.

MAM also insists that the government breached the collective agreement signed last May because it was not informed or con

sulted six weeks prior to the transfer of the concession – a clause which general secretary Martin Balzan told INDEPTH that MAM had fought hard for after the Karin Grech, St Luke’s and the Gozo hospitals were “sold behind [their] back.”

The union called a first strike last Tuesday, which it described as a success.

Speaking after yesterday’s meeting, the MAM general secretary said that “constructive” talks had been held, and both sides “continue to agree on certain principles.”

He was reluctant to divulge details of the meeting due to the sensitivity surrounding the negotiations. Another meeting will take place tomorrow.

Balzan said the union will wait until after tomorrow’s meeting before deciding on the industrial action planned for Thursday and Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne also said “good progress” had been made during yesterday’s meeting,

Speaking to The Malta Independent, Fearne said the ministry had listened to the union’s proposals and made some counter proposals. “Good progress” was made in the two-hour meeting, the deputy prime minister said. “This does not mean that we are there. Some pending issues remain but the overall position is better than what it was last week.”

He said both sides had agreed to meet tomorrow, allowing for some time to study each other’s proposals. Fearne said he was hopeful that an agreement would be reached.

Last week Health Minister Chris Fearne said the government was willing to show the VGH/Steward contract to the medical association, but the union said this weekend that it had not yet been shown the documents.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat questioned why MAM was criticising the VGH deal now, and not two years ago, when it was first announced.

Replying this morning, the union said it had been objecting to the Vitals deal since March 2015. MAM said it publicly objected to the Vitals deals, for two main reasons, one being the operator’s complete lack of experience, along with the dangers of the government relinquishing its control of management and the resulting profit motive.

At the time there was complete secrecy of all the contracts. In December 2015, MAM and the government started efforts to draw up an agreement on vitals, but following the Panama Papers scandal implicating Minister Mizzi and revelations of the hidden ownership of Vitals, leading to letter box companies in the British Virgin Islands, MAM withdrew from these negotiations.

In December 2016, MAM together UĦM wrote to the Public Accounts Committee which subsequently asked the auditor general to investigate the contracts. However, the auditor general failed to give this investigation priority.

In May 2017, in an annex to the new collective agreement, a number of “safety net” measures on privatisation, including the need for six weeks’ notice, were agreed upon. It is the failure to respect these safety net measures which has led the current dispute.