It seems that Christmas has come early in Malta with the two big parties competing to make the most promises to capture the widest number of voters. They are both neoliberal in outlook – giving the impression that they favour ‘common people’ when in fact, instead of proposing measures that better our quality of life, they want low-wage earners to work longer hours to make a decent living.

At a press conference in San Ġwann, Mina Tolu, election candidate and International Secretary of ADPD – The Green Party emphasised that once again this budget failed to address the lack of a set minimum wage that can ensure a decent living. While the European Union is discussing a Directive about the workings of such a wage, PLPN are opposing this Directive.

Why should one be grateful that overtime is going to be less taxed when for a lot of workers this is a necessity? This leads many to have a lower quality of life and burnout. On the other hand, if we truly believe that our country’s economy is improving we should be considering how to reduce the 40-hour work week without a decrease in conditions of work and income.

The budget measure of establishing ‘templates’ for employment contracts will not resolve the exploitation that takes place in industry such as construction. There should be a register of such contracts to ensure that health and safety at the workplace is being safeguarded.

In spite of all the promises, PLPN believe in maintaining low wages so that the Government’s benevolence is shown from time to time towards those whom it pleases to carry favour with.

ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo emphasized that token measures do not bring about change. We want a minimum wage which guarantees a decent living – updated every few years. We want reforms that favour people and not token one-off measures. He said that while the budget was based on estimates of economic growth, the impact of the announced measures assume certain criteria about the labour market that can go haywire, as has been noted by the fiscal advisory council to the Minister of Finance. There is also an element of uncertainty as to the rate of recovery from the pandemic and how this will pan out over the coming months.

On the other hand the Opposition is promising more measures to all and sundry, in a bid to surpass what has been proposed in the Budget: promises of initiatives towards pensioners, students, the business sector and even to the construction sector. There is absolutely no discussion about the scourge of low wages and the working poor. There is no discussion about the taxation system, even in light of the new international 15% minimum tax rate on multinationals, instead of the shameful special PLPN-supported 5% rate for the super rich. In contrast while billionaire multinationals pay 5%, local SMEs pay 35% in tax.

PLPN are also ignoring the great uncertainties brought about by Malta’s ‘grey listing’. According to an EY study results published earlier this week, Malta’s attractiveness to foreign investors has reached an 17-year low.

Projects announced in the lead up to the budget which, if implemented, will certainly leave a massive impact on the country’s finances – such as the Metro – did not even get a mention in the Minister of Finance’s budget speech!

While so-called environmental measures just offer us a smoke screen when one considers the damage that has been incurred within this sector over the past years. How can one reconcile the assistance announced to farmers with how they have been hindered from their work.

It will only be Parliamentary Representatives elected from the ADPD candidates’ list that will insist on a decent minimum wage and ensure that each measure proposed is sustainable.

***

Wegħdiet galore minflok ir-riformi neċessarji

Il-Milied jidher li wasal kmieni hawn Malta biż-żewġ partiti fil-Parlament jikkompetu bejniethom dwar minn se jwiegħed l-iktar affarijiet li jolqtu l-iktar firxa wiesa’ ta’ votanti. It-tnejn qed jipproponu politika neoliberali. Minflok jiddiskutu kif il-ħaddiema titjiebilhom il-kwalità tal-ħajja iriduna naħdmu aktar sigħat.

Waqt konferenza stampa f’San Ġwann, Mina Tolu, Segretarju Intenazzjonali u kandidat ta’ ADPD -The Green Party saħaq li għal darb’oħra dan il-budget naqas li jindirizza il-problema ta’ nuqqas ta’ paga minima li biha wieħed jkun jista’ jgħix b’mod diċenti. Filwaqt li fl-Unjoni Ewropea bħalissa qegħda tiġi diskussa Direttiva dwar kif tinħadem il-paga minima, il-PLPN qed jopponu din id-Direttiva.

Kemm għandu għaliex wieħed jifraħ li s-sahra se tiġi ntaxxata anqas meta ħafna ħaddiema ma jistgħux jgħaddu mingħajrha? Dan iwassal biex ħafna ħaddiema għandhom kwalita’ tal-ħajja baxxa u problemi ta’ saħħa. Anzi għandna naraw kif l-40 siegħa ta’ xogħol jitnaqqsu mingħajr ma jintmessu s-salarji, jekk verament nemmnu li pajjiżna sejjer tajjeb ekonomikament.

Il-miżura ta’ sempliċiment ‘templates’ ta’ kuntratti tax-xogħol ma ssolviex il-problema t’esplojtazzjoni speċjalment f’industriji bħal tal-kostruzzjoni. Għandu jkun hemm reġistru tal-ħaddiema biex jiġi assigurat li s-saħħa u s-sigurta’ fuq il-post tax-xogħol jiġu mħarsa.

Minkejja il-ħafna wegħdiet, il-PLPN jibqgħu jemmnu f’pagi baxxi biex imbagħad il-benevolenza tal-Gvern tintwera f’miżuri speċifiċi minn żmien għal żmien li jolqtu lil dawk li l-Gvern tal-ġurnata għandu pjaċir li jaġevola.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Carmel Cacopardo emfasizza li hemm bżonn soluzzjonijiet fit-tul, li verament jtejbu l-kwalità tal-ħajja tan-nies: reviżjoni tal-paga minima kull tant żmien ibbażat fuq ‘basket’ li jiġġedded ukoll, biex verament il-paga minima ssir paga diċenti. Qal li filwaqt li dak li tħabbar fil-budget suppost ġie bbażat fuq kalkoli ta’ stima tat-tkabbir ekonomiku, kif diġà ġie nnotat mil-‘fiscal advisory council’ lil Ministru tal-Finanzi, l-impatt tat-twettiq tal-miżuri tal-budget fuq il-finanzi tal-Gvern jieħdu in konsiderazzjoni ċerti kriterji ekonomiċi dwar is-suq tax-xogħol li jista’ jmorru żmerċ. Hemm ukoll l-inċertezza tar-ritmu ta’ l-irkupru mill-pandemija u kif din għad trid tisvolġi fix-xhur li ġejjin.

Min-naħa l-oħra għandek l-oppożizzjoni li bit-tir li tilħaq kull votant qegħda twiegħed dejjem iktar miżuri li jipprovaw jisbqu dak li ġie mfassal mill-Gvern f’dan il-budget. Wegħdiet ta’ inizzjativi għal pensjonanti, studenti, negozjanti u saħansitra żviluppaturi ta’ propjetà. Li hemm nieqes hija diskussjoni neċessarja fuq il-pagi baxxi u anke fuq is-sistema ta’ tassazzjoni, anke fid-dawl ta’ taxxa minima ġdida fuq kumpaniji multinazzjonali ta’ 15%, minflok it-taxxa speċjali għas-sinjuruni ta’ 5%, meta negozji żgħar (SMEs) Maltin iħallsu 35% f’taxxa.

Il-PLPN qegħdin jinjoraw ukoll l-inċertezzi kbar li l-ekonomija ta’ pajjiżna tinsab fiha speċjalment wara li Malta spiċċat fuq il-‘grey list’. Kif ħareġ minn studju tal-EY din il-ġimgħa, l-attrazzjoni ta’ Malta għal investituri barranin laħqet l-iktar livell baxx fuq medda ta’ 17-il sena.

Imbagħad proġetti imħabbra fil-ġimgħat ta’ qabel li żgur se jħallu impatt kbir fuq il-kaxxa ta’ Malta jekk jitwettqu – bħal ngħidu aħna dak tal-Metro – lanqas ma jingħataw linja waħda fid-diskors tal-Ministru tal-Finanzi.

Miżuri hekk imsejjħa ambjentali jistgħu jiġu kkunsidrati biss bħala bżar fl-għajnejn speċjalment meta wieħed jikkonsidra l-isfreġji li twettqu f’dan il-qasam fil-passat. Imħabbra miżuri ta’ għajnuna għall-bdiewa meta dawn qegħdin ikunu magħkusin minn kull naħa u ma jitħallewx jkomplu bil-ħidma tagħhom.

Huma biss Membri Parlamentari eletti minn fost dawk ippreżentati mill-ADPD li jinsistu għal paga minima diċenti u jaraw li kull miżura imħabbra jew imwiegħda tkun waħda sostenibbli.