Labour whip wanted honorarium raise before Muscat hit out at ‘double-salary’

Labour whip Joe Mizzi had been at the forefront of winning higher salaries for MPs when the hush-hush raise in Cabinet salaries was revealed by MaltaToday back in 2008.

But he has to forfeit the salary raise he was instrumental in gaining to toe Labour leader Joseph Muscat’s line, who in a bid to score political points during a belt-tightening year has hit out at Lawrence Gonzi’s ‘secret’ pay rise.

In 2008, Mizzi was quoted by MaltaToday – speaking in his personal capacity – as agreeing in principle with a €26,000 increase in ministerial salaries: the equivalent of 70% of the civil service’s Scale 1 salary.

While a credit-crunched public had to face 2008 with a meagre €4.08 cost of living adjustment, Mizzi argued that higher salaries “should be accompanied by a greater sense of accountability” on the part of Cabinet members.

“Personally I think that this decision was unavoidable because it does not make sense that a chairman earns more than the minister who appointed him... Although I firmly believe that ministers are simply being given what is due to them, I understand workers who lament that the ministers are getting a pay rise while their standard of living is deteriorating. The timing of this measure is not a good one.”

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