Momentum's Workers' Day promise: A 62% increase in minimum wage
'A May 1 for workers, not for slogans'
If elected to power, Momentum would increase the weekly minimum wage from €221.78 to €360, the party pledged on Workers' Day.
Momentum’s candidate in the third and eleventh district, Mark Camilleri Gambin, said the current minimum wage falls far short of what any person needs to live decently.
Informed by Caritas’s own research, which estimated a decent living wage at €368 per week, Momentum proposed an immediate increase to €360 per week.
In a statement, Camilleri Gambin said that while Malta has several thriving sectors, the current economic model often tips the scales too far in favour of developers, leaving many workers behind.
Momentum aims to restore balance in Parliament, advocating for policies that ensure prosperity is shared by those who build our economy, not just those who own the skyline.
“Workers in Malta and Gozo deserve more than a speech once a year. 95,000 people in Malta are still at risk of poverty. That is the result of decisions taken, and not taken, by the same two parties that will stand on a stage today and tell workers they matter.”
While workers have heard the promises, they have not seen action, he said.
"This election, they have a real choice. Vote for the parties that have had decades to fix this and haven’t. Or vote for a party that exists because those problems were never solved. On May 30, vote for a Bidla ta’ Vera.”
Momentum’s manifesto sets out concrete commitments to restore fairness to Malta’s labour market:
A minimum wage that reflects reality: a €139 weekly rise that ensures no full-time worker is forced into poverty.
Same work, same pay: care workers, security guards, and secretaries employed through agencies earn less than state employees doing the exact same job right beside them. This two-tier system is straightforwardly unjust, and in compliance with EU directives, Momentum will act to end it. The same work must mean the same pay, regardless of who signs the contract.
A working life that leaves room for living: Momentum will champion flexible working arrangements, stronger parental leave provisions, and workplace policies that make it genuinely possible to build a career and raise a family at the same time.
Enforcement that works: DIER, the body responsible for protecting workers, remains under-resourced and without the teeth needed to hold bad employers to account. Workers’ rights mean nothing if nobody enforces them. Momentum will work to change that.