AD brands PL minimum wage stand as 'gaffe'
Green party chairperson Michael Briguglio claims Labour betrayed workers by joining bandwagon of those who predict low wages enhanced competitiveness.
Alternattiva Demokratika's chairperson Michael Briguglio has slammed PL leader Joseph Muscat over his recent comments that a Labour government would leave the minimum wage as is until the economy stabilised, adding that his comments were a pre-electoral "gaffe".
Briguglio was addressing the press in Sliema's St Anne's Square this morning.
Muscat was recently quoted as saying the "populist move", that of increasing the minimum wage, "would burden employers with new costs and increase pressure on workers from their employers".
Briguglio insisted that a minimum wage increase was essential for both social development and a healthy economy, adding that the economics of cheap Labour is "regressive" and "outdated" and it is appalling that the PL had betrayed workers and joined the bandwagon of those who pessimistically predict that only low wages can only enhance competitiveness.
"Competitiveness is more likely to be influenced by a myriad of economic, political, social and ecological factors at national, regional and global levels," Briguglio said.
When asked by MaltaToday what AD thought of government's stand that a minimum wage increase was not a solution when Caritas called on government to increase the minimum wage back in 2010, Brigulglio said that AD would welcome a change in stance from both the PL and PN, insisting that AD was currently the only party in favour of a minimum wage increase.
Meanwhile, Angele Deguara, AD spokesperson for social policy and civil rights, said: "We ally ourselves with trade unions like Forum, progressive organisations like Caritas, Zminijietna - Voice of the Left, Moviment Graffitti and economists like Lino Spiteri and Karm Farrugia.
"A minimum wage increase would help decrease poverty since as things stand, the majority of workers couldn't cope with the high cost of living," she said.