Majority agree with minimum wage increase

The latest MaltaToday online poll shows that the majority of respondents agree with a minimum wage increase over and above the cost of living adjustment.

59% of the 3336 respondents who participated in the poll said that the minimum wage should increase. Statistics suggest that minimum-wage earners currently represent about 6% of the Maltese workforce.

Currently the minimum wage is set at around €690 a month and according to the 2012 Labour Force Survey, the number of full-time workers earning a minimum wage has increased from 2,250 in 2004 to 2,384 in 2012.

When part-timers and employees on reduced hours are added, the number increases to 9,183, this adds up to 618 more than in 2004. This category includes a growing number of workers - mostly women - who rely on a part-time job as their main or sole occupation.

26% of respondents agreed with the Malta Chamber who recently took strong exception to the suggestion made by the Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, that government is considering an increase in the minimum wage. 

Describing a possible minimum wage increase as a "short-sighted approach," the Malta Chamber said that increases should be exclusively linked to an increase in productivity.

However, 15% of respondents disagreed with this stand and agreed that the minimum wage should only increase according to COLA, the cost of living adjustment.

A report by Church organisation Caritas released in 2012 fuelled calls for Malta's minimum wage to be raised, with researchers finding the current level was not enough to ensure a decent standard of living.

The Caritas report estimated that breadwinners on the minimum wage needed an extra €1,600 per year to live a decent life, and called for it to be increased to €180 a week to make up for the shortfall.