The Malta Co-operative Federation (MCF) filed a judicial protest against the Prime Minister of Malta, The Minister for Economy, Investment and Small Enterprises, The Cooperatives Board, the Central Co-operative Fund, the Attorney General and Koperattivi Malta, accusing them of discrimination against it and its coop members.
MCF has been established since November 2012, and despite numerous efforts by MCF Council to resolve the discriminatory situation faced by MCF, there was no tangible progress registered.
Since the Federation’s inception, the Central Co-operative Fund (CCF) have failed to approve any funding for the Federation. On the other hand, it is choosing to fund annually the operations of the other co-operative federation, Koperattivi Malta.
MCF is considering the lack of funding devolution towards the Federation as an act of deliberate discrimination against it and against its Members, notwithstanding the fact that MCF’s members contribute around 40% per annum of the total co-operative societies’ contributions to the Fund.
The judicial protest asks the Government of Malta, the Cooperatives Board and the Central Cooperative Fund to immediately stop this illegal and discriminatory behavior. It also asks the Government to appoint independent members to the Central Co-operative Fund and for the said Fund to give the funding MCF has the right for so as to be able to pursue it objectives, mainly:
- To represent and be a united voice of the Malta Co-operative Movement both nationally and in international forums;
- To promote the co-operative model to the general public as a viable form of democratic member controlled enterprise;
- To provide services to its member societies including training and consultancy services, and hand-holding for start-up co-operatives;
- To offer member co-operative societies real opportunities to network and synergise together, both nationally and internationally;
- To provide an open forum for its member co-operatives in which ideas on achieving best practice are discussed and encouraged.