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MaltaToday online poll | Slight majority disagree with raising minimum wage
889 respondents to a MaltaToday online poll disagree with raising minimum age, as this would lead to an increase in the cost of living.
30 September 2012, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
1 min read
A Caritas study concluded that a household of two adults and two children is estimated at 10,634.
Only 24% - 544 - agree with raising the minimum wage, on the proposed condition that the increase in financed by higher taxes on huge bank and i-gaming profits.
While both government and the opposition concede that increasing the minimum wage today could put jobs at risk, yet both parties are at each other's throats on the issue.
Labour leader Joseph Muscat has since filed a libel suit against Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi after the latter's party said a Labour government would freeze minimum wage.
On the other hand, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech has not ruled out whether the government was planning its own increase in the national minimum wage - unchanged since the 1970s but incremented through the COLA adjustment on an annual basis - in the next Budget.
Significantly, out of the 2,272 respondents to MaltaToday's online survey, 889 disagree with raising the minimum wage as this would increase the costs of businesses and lead to a rise in prices.
But almost evenly matched with 839 votes, others believe that increasing the minimum wage would help low-income groups who need a boost in disposable income.
While the majority of trade unions seem to agree with Joseph Muscat's position, the Forum Unions Malta and organisations like Caritas and Moviment Graffiti disagree. Also vocal in favour of an increase are Alternattiva Demokratika. AD's chairperson Michael Briguglio lambasted Labour's position against an increase in the minimum wage, calling it "a betrayal of the working class".
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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Michael Brigulio who?
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It makes a good sence for the jobs creation and economy strenght, than minimum wage can be increased after boosting the business growth and healthy economy in our country regenaration thus the government will be in better position to help the lower class by increasing the minimum wage. It is necessary to built up again the middle class and sweep out the clique of oligarchy that create this precarious jobs in Malta. These are the cause of distruction that arise the poverty line again in our country.
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Michael Brigulio your opportunism will get you nowhere. While it is desirable to increase the minimum wage we must not forget those more vulnerable than the rest, including those who are looking for work and pensioners. Therefore a decrease in electricity and water bills is more desirable than a minimum wage increase because everyone will profit from this action.It is only sensible to think like Joseph Muscat explained. First lower the tariff bills, work to improve the economic situation then the minimum wage can be discussed again. Let us not be selfish and think for ourselves only but let's think of those less fortunate too.
