“The increase in the cost-of-living brings to the fore with a vengeance the issue of the lack of a minimum wage that ensures decent living. Those earning a minimum wage are clearly the poor. Government must not delay any longer to review how the minimum wage is calculated.” This was stated by ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson, Carmel Cacopardo while addressing a press conference this morning.

ADPD – The Green Party candidate and Deputy Secretary General Sandra Gauci said that everybody is aware that the living costs are rising from one day to the next and that the lower income earners’ spending power is being diminished and fails to provide for the basic necessities. Among the factors contributing to this are the stoppages and production delays caused by Covid and the transportation impacted by lockdowns and quarantine measures in countries Malta imports from such as Italy. Another factor is the transportation costs – these have risen by as much as 4 times for the same container weight and this is reflecting itself in prices. The inflation rate at the end of November 2021 was 2.38% compared to the same month in 2020 of 0.27%. Brexit also created a lot of confusion resulting in out of stock items such as medicines.

Although the Government can do very little with respect to those price increases imposed from abroad it can still intervene locally by, for example, controlling the transport costs of food and medicine. The COLA mechanism should be revised to include essential items such as face masks and sanitizers. The use of IT is essential in today’s world and cost of internet access, mobiles and laptops should also be included in the basket of daily needs. Other items such as cigarettes should be removed. Being online today is essential especially in the current circumstances when many services are being delivered online including shopping.

ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson, Carmel Cacopardo said the increase in the cost-of-living brings to the fore with a vengeance the issue of the lack of a minimum wage that ensures decent living.

Minimum wages can be considered adequate when they are fair vis-à-vis the wages of other workers and when they provide a decent standard of living, taking into account general economic conditions in the country.

Malta is one of the countries which is opposing a mandatory EU Directive addressing the adequacy of the minimum wage! When an increase in the minimum wage, also referred to as a cost-of-living increase, does not correspond to the actual increase in the cost of living, it creates a lot of problems for vulnerable persons and groups. It also erodes the value of wages currently above the minimum. This occurs because the basket of goods and services used to gauge the cost-of-living increase is out of tune and does not correspond to what is actually occurring on the ground.

ADPD – The Green Partyhas repeatedly insisted on the need to replace the current basket of goods and services used to determine the minimum wage. The contents of such a basket cannot be static as our needs change continuously over time. Even though we had been promised a proposal to address the needs of vulnerable persons which are not addressed by the COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) in the last budget, when push came to shove, we only heard the Minister of Finance declare that he will be studying the matter further!

Caritas in Malta has carried out various studies in this respect. In respect of a family composed of 2 adults and 2 children, it was concluded, in the latest Caritas study, that the minimum budget required at 2020 prices was slightly under €14,000. That was approximately €4,000 over and above the actual minimum wage. In simple language this means that the minimum wage, at 2020 prices, is 40% below the minimum threshold of a decent wage. Those earning a minimum wage are clearly the working poor. The minimum wage is not a living wage.

Government must not delay any longer to review how the minimum wage is calculated.

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L-għoli tal-ħajja tkompli tolqot lil dawk fuq paga minima

“Iż-żieda fl-għoli tal-ħajja terġa’ titfa’ ħarsitna bil-qawwa kollha fuq in-nuqqas ta’ paga minima li tassigura livell ta’ għajxien diċenti. Dawk fuq paga minima huma tabilħaqq il-foqra. Huwa essenzjali li l-Gvern ma jibqax ikaxkar saqajh biex ikun revedut il-mod kif tkun kkalkulata l-paga minima.” Dan qalu Carmel Cacopardo Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party dalgħodu f’konferenza stampa.

Il-kandidata u Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Sandra Gauci qalet li huwa evidenti għal kulħadd li l-ħajja qed togħla minn ġurnata għall-oħra u li l-paga u l-pensjoni taż-żgħir qed tissarraf dejjem f’inqas meta jipprova jaqdi l-ħtiġijiet bażiċi – l-ispending power qed tonqos. Dan huwa minħabba bosta fatturi fosthom il-Covid li waqqfet u ġieli dewmet il-produzzjoni u t-trasport ta’ materjal u oġġetti minn barra minħabba lockdowns u kwarantini f’pajjizi li minnhom nimpurtaw bħall-Italja. Fattur ieħor hu it-trasport tal-merkanzija. Il-prezzijiet splodew kważi b’4 darbiet aktar biex iġġib l-istess container u dan qed jirrifletti ruħu fil-prezzijiet. Ir-rata tal-inflazzjoni fl-aħħar ta Novembru 2021 kienet ta’ 2.38% meta mqabbla mal-istess xahar tas-sena 2020 li kienet ta’ 0.27%. Ma ninsewx ukoll il-Brexit li ħolqot ħafna konfuzjoni u affarijiet out of stock speċjalment mediċini li nimpurtaw minn hemm.

Filwaqt li il-gvern ftit li xejn jista’ jagħmel dwar prezzijiet li jogħlew minn barra hemm affarijiet li jista’ jagħmel internament, bħal li jikkontrolla l-ispejjeż tat-trasport ta’ ikel u mediċini. Il-mekkaniżmu tal-COLA għandu jiġi rivedut u hemm bżonn li prodotti bħal face masks u sanitizers jiżdiedu mal-baskett tal-affarijiet essenzjali. L-IT sar bżonn ta’ kuljum li min ma jkollux jispiċċa maqtugħ mid-dinja u allura affarijiet bħal internet, mobiles u laptops għandhom jiżdiedu fil-baskett tal-bżonnijiet ta’ kuljum. Affarijiet bħal sigaretti għandhom jitneħħew.  Illum li tkun online sar bżonn speċjalment fi żmien il-Covid fejn ħafna mis-servizzi marru online u ħafna mix-xiri beda jsir minn hemm.

Iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD – The Green Party, Carmel Cacopardo qal li ż-żieda fl-għoli tal-ħajja terġa’ titfa’ ħarsitna bil-qawwa kollha fuq in-nuqqas ta’ paga minima li tassigura livell ta’ għajxien diċenti.

Paga minima tkun meqjusa ġusta meta mqabbla ma pagi ta’ ħaddiema oħra u meta tipprovdi livell ta’ għajxien diċenti fil-kuntest tal-qagħda ekonomika ġenerali tal-pajjiż.

Malta hija waħda minn dawk il-pajjiżi li qegħdin jopponu Direttiva ta’ l-Unjoni Ewropea mandatorja biex tassigura paga minima ġusta! Meta ż-żieda fil-paga minima, imsejjħa ukoll iż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja, ma tirrifflettix ir-realtà toħloq problemi kbar għal persuni u gruppi vulnerabbli. Tnaqqar ukoll mill-valur tal-pagi li jkunu għola minn dik minima. Dan iseħħ għaliex il-baskett ta’ prodotti u servizzi li jkejjel iż-żieda fl-għoli tal-ħajja ma jkunx jirrifletti dak li jkun qiegħed jiġri fir- realtà.

ADPD ilha tinsisti fuq il-ħtieġa li jinbidel il-baskett ta’ prodotti u servizzi li jwassal għal paga minima. Il-kontenut ta’ dan il-baskett ma jistgħax jibqa’ fiss ima għandu bżonn jinbidel minn żmien għall-ieħor hekk kif jinbidlu il-ħtiġijiet tagħna. Minkejja li kienet twegħdet miżura biex tilqa’ għall-bżonnijiet ta’ persuni vulnerabbli li mhux imħarsa mill-COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) fl-aħħar baġit smajna biss lil Ministru tal-Finanzi jgħid li se jkompli jistudja aktar din il-materja.

Il-Caritas f’Malta għamlet diversi studji u fl-aħħar wieħed sabet li familja ta’ żewġ adulti u żewġt itfal għanda bżonn dħul ta’ ftit anqas minn €14,000 fl-2020. Dak kien madwar €4,000 iktar mill-paga minima. Dan ifisser li l-paga minima fl-2020 kienet 40% anqas minn dak il-livell minimu ta’ dħul diċenti. Dawk fuq paga minima huma tabilħaqq il-ħaddiema foqra. Il-paga minima ma tistgħax tgħix biha.

Huwa essenzjali li l-Gvern ma jibqax ikaxkar saqajh biex ikun revedut il-mod kif tkun kkalkulata l-paga minima.