Prime Minister highlights importance of compromise between health and economic sectors in MCESD meeting

Prime Minister Robert Abela told social partners in a Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) meeting on Thursday that a compromise that does not break the health sector nor the economic sector needs to be reached.

A MCESD meeting was called yesterday to discuss the current situation pertaining to COVID-19 in the country and the way forward. By the time this newspaper went to print, the meeting was ongoing.

Addressing the social partners at the start of the meeting, Abela said that it was his wish to leave the room with an agreement on the way forward.

The meeting was held on the eve of industrial directives being issued by the Malta Union of Nurses and Midwives, which were to come into force today. Directives by the Medical Association of Malta (MAM) were already in force. Yesterday it was said that 95% of the MAM members had complied with the ordered industrial action.

Speaking at the MCESD meeting, Abela said that two principles have to be kept in mind; to protect the lives of the Maltese and to protect their livelihoods. “Our priority remains health but we cannot have an economy which is lacking, and the same goes for the other way round”, he said.

He said that the current scenario is an exceptional one, and the worst thing to do would be not to listen. He noted that the government has listened by closing down certain mass events.

This action however, led to the loss of €25 million from the Maltese economy which could have been invested in healthcare, Abela told the MCESD. “I appeal for us not to go to extremes, as they will do us no good”, the Prime Minister said.

“We have to reach a compromise that does not break down the health sector or the economic sector”, he added.

Abela reminded that it was the agreement reached within the MCESD back in March which is what saved a lot of jobs, and augured that such an agreement can be reached once again.