During these Christmas festivities, one cannot help noticing the continual rise in prices, even though electricity and wheat are subsidised. These subsidies have not had the intended effects on consumers, as prices have kept rising, with detrimental effects on the quality of life and living standards. Just this week, a price hike in the price of milk was announced. Notwithstanding last budget’s measures, we are still far off from minimum wage earners to have a living wage with which to have a decent standard of living.
This was the main message of ADPD – The Green Party’s spokespersons, when addressing a press conference near the open market in Qormi, this morning.
ADPD’s Deputy Secretary General, Dr Melissa Bagley spoke about the Cost Of Living Adjustment Contribution (COLA) of €12.82 per week, which adjustment is meant to offset the rise in cost of living for this year. Many are unaware of its significance as few know what this increase is based on.
“People are not purchasing and consuming the same items they used to 30 years ago, when taking into consideration the basket of items on which the cost of living is calculated. For this reason, we as ADPD are campaigning that this basket of items is updated regularly, rather than becoming increasingly irrelevant. We further add that the COLA must be given every 6 months rather than once yearly, particularly when the cost of living is continually increasing at a fast pace”, insisted Bagley.
She referred to two news items this week, announcing substantial increases in vehicle insurance premiums due to inflation. Over and above, something as essential as milk will see a second price hike within this year. This further strengthens ADPD’s argument that COLA must be given midway through the year as well, concluded Bagley.
ADPD Chairperson, Sandra Gauci said that the government is aware of the present inefficiency of how the increase in cost of living is calculated. So much so, that the government is distributing additional cash benefits in an attempt to combat the rising cost of living. This is nothing less than an admission that the adjustments being granted are peanuts, in the hope to appear generous, however the less fortunate keep being treated as a beggar, dependent on the government’s charity.
Regarding the rise in the minimum wage, which was announced during the last budget, this was a good decision, however when seeing the figures, this is insufficient. An increase of €18 over a period of 4 years is not enough. These figures contradict the studies conducted by Caritas in 2020, which found that a family of two adults and two children needs €13,947 to enjoy a decent standard of living. This translates into an increase of 40% on the minimum wage, meaning an increase of €78 per week. This should have been the increase which wage earners were supposed to be given long ago, but has been left in a quandary, having had to accept the crumbs, in a country which boasts of rising GDP and an improving economy”, Gauci said.
She reiterated that it was all a numbers game. People are not numbers and the facts show that we have over 100,000 people at risk of poverty. And in January many are worried about the effect of the ‘Fit for 55’ on goods and though the government had already known about this measure for at least three years it did not plan for its impacts especially when as an island we practically import everything.
If we really want to help the poor, there is a need for a policy with bold, targeted and serious decisions that really put the poor at the centre of decisions and aimed at making the life of those living on the minimum wage a decent life. We should not continue to increase the working poor who are deprived of their dignity to live in a dignified way. This poverty which is always growing and is being ignored shows how these measures are only cosmetic and do not go to the root of the problem to reduce poverty. There is a need for a change in the mentality where people are no longer considered as numbers but as a precious resource especially in a country like Malta that lacks any natural resource, concluded Gauci.
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L-għoli tal-ħajja ma jieħux vaganzi
F’dawn iż-żminijiet fejn kulħadd jibda jipprepara għaċ-ċelebrazzjonijiet tal-Milied, wieħed ma jistax ma jinnotax li l-prezzijiet baqgħu telgħin ‘il fuq allavolja kemm l-elettriku kif ukoll il qamħ issussidjat. Dawn is-sussidji ma ħallewx l-impatt mixtieq fuq il-konsumatur għax l-affarijiet ta’ kuljum xorta baqgħu telgħin fil-prezz b’detriment fuq il-kwalità u l-istandards tal-ħajja tan-nies. Din il-ġimgħa stess tħabbret żieda fil-prezz tal-ħalib! Biż-żidiet proposti fil-budget li għadda għadna ‘l-bogħod milli l-ħaddiem bil-paga minima ikollu living wage li biha jkun jista’ jgħix b’mod diċenti.
Dan kien il-messaġġ ewlieni minn kelliema tal-ADPD-The Green Party meta indirizzaw konferenza stampa ħdejn is-suq ta’ Ħal Qormi dalgħodu.
Id-Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali tal-ADPD, Dr Melissa Bagley bdiet billi semmiet iż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja (COLA) ta’ €12.82 fil-ġimgħa fejn din iż-żieda suppost tagħmel tajjeb għaż-żidiet fl-għoli tal-ħajja tas-sena li qed tispiċċa. Ħafna ma japprezzawx dan eżattament xi jfisser għax ftit li xejn jafu fuq xiex hija ibbażata din iż-żieda.
“In-nies m’għadiex tixtri l-istess affarijiet bħalma kienet 30 sena ilu, meta tfassal il-basket li fuqu hi kkalkolata ż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja, u lanqas m’għandha l-istess ħtiġijiet. Hu għalhekk aħna tal-ADPD ilna nisħqu li dan il-basket għandu jiġi aġġornat kultant żmien u mhux spiċċa kważi irrelevanti. Inżidu wkoll li ż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja għandha tingħata kull 6 xhur u mhux darba biss, b’mod partikolari fi żmien meta l-ħajja qed togħla kontinwament b’ritmu mgħaġġel,” tenniet Bagley.
Hija irreferiet ukoll għal żewġ aħbarijiet ta’ dan il-ġimgħa fejn ġie rappurtat żidiet sostanzjali fl-insurance tal-karozzi minħabba l-inflazzjoni. Saħansitra il-prezz ta’ xi ħaġa essenzjali bħalma huwa il-ħalib se jerġa’ jiżdied għat-tieni darba din is-sena. Dan ikompli isaħħaħ l-argument tal-ADPD li ż-żieda għal-għoli tal-ħajja għanda tingħata ukoll f’nofs is-sena, temmet Bagley.
Iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD Sandra Gauci qalet li il-gvern konxju mill-ineffiċjenza preżenti ta’ kif jinħadmu iż-żidiet għall-għoli tal-ħajja. Tant jafu, li bħalissa qiegħed iqassam ċekkijiet addizzjonali biex ipattu għall-għoli tal-ħajja. Din mhi xejn ħlief ammissjoni li ż-żidiet huma frak li jingħataw biex taparsi tagħti xi ħaġa imma xorta il-batut baqa’ ttrattat bħala tallab li jrid jgħix minn fuq il-karità tal-gvern. Żgur mhux se jara xi forma ta’ mobilità soċjali. In-nies drittijiet għandhom bżonn mhux ċekkijiet.
Rigward iż-żieda fil-paga minima li tħabbret fl-aħħar budget, din hija deċiżjoni fit-triq it tajba, iżda meta tara ċ-ċifri xorta mhux biżżejjed. €18 zieda fil-ġimgħa fuq perjodu ta’ erba’ snin mhux biżżejjed. Dawn iċ-ċifri jistunaw mhux ħażin mal-istudju li għamlet il-Caritas fl-2020 fejn ħareġ li familja ta’ żewġ adulti u żewġt itfal ikollha bżonn €13,947 biex tkun tista’ tgħix ħajja deċenti. Din tfisser żieda ta’ 40% fuq il-paga minima li meta ssarrafha tiġi żieda ta’ €78 fil-ġimgħa. “Din hi ż-żieda li l-ħaddiem b’paga minima ilu li suppost ingħatatlu imma għadu jittama u jkollu jikkuntenta bil-frak f’pajjiż li jiftaħar li l-GDP qed jiżdied u li l-ekonomija sejra tajjeb,” sostniet Gauci.
Hija tenniet li dan kollu logħob bin-numri. In-nies mhux numri u l-fatti juru li għandna ‘l-fuq minn 100,000 ruħ f’riskju ta’ faqar. U dan għadu ma wasalx Jannar fejn ħafna huma nkwetati fuq l-effett tal- ‘Fit for 55’ fuq il-merkanzija u l-fatt li l-gvern allavolja kien ilu jaf b’din il-miżura minn tal-inqas tliet snin ma ħasibx u ma ħadimx biżżejjed biex jilqgħalha speċjalment meta aħna bħala gżira nimpurtaw prattikament kollox.
Jekk irridu verament ngħinu lil min hu batut hemm bżonn ta’ politika b’deċiżjonijiet kuraġġużi immirati u serji li jpoġġu verament lill-batut fiċ-ċentru tad-deċiżjonijiet u mmirati biex verament il-ħajja ta’ min jgħix bil-paga minima tkun ħajja deċenti u mhux inkomplu nżidu l-working poor li titteħdilhom id-dinjità li jgħixu b’mod dinjituż. Dan il-faqar li dejjem qiegħed jikber u qiegħed jiġi injorat juri kemm dawn il-miżuri huma biss kosmetiċi u ma jmorrux fil-fond tal-problema biex jitnaqqas il-faqar. Hemm bżonn ta’ bidla fir-rotta fejn lin-nies inqisuhom mhux bħala numri imma bħalha riżorsa prezzjuż speċjalment f’pajjiż bħal-Malta nieqes minn kwalunkwe riżorsa naturali, temmet tgħid Gauci.
