Proposals put forward by the Alliance of Pensioners’ Organisations were not taken into consideration in the Budget, the Alliance president Carmel Mallia said.

“We put forward some four proposals, which we had been pushing for years, but none of these were addressed,” Mr Mallia said reacting to the Budget measures announced on Monday.

The Alliance is made up of Għaqda Nazzjonali tal-Penzjonanti, BOV Pensioners Association, Għaqda Pulizija Pensjonanti, Għaqda Pensjonanti GWU, MUT (Retired Teachers) Association and Taqsima Pensjonanti UĦM.

Mr Mallia said the biggest concern was the lack of importance being given to the guaranteed national minimum pension.

“We cannot have just talk about the guaranteed national minimum pension but we want to see change materialise,” Mr Mallia said.

Addressing journalists during a press conference on Wednesday, Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia said the measures in place today were leading up to the development of the guaranteed national minimum pension.

“We still have to set the guaranteed national minimum pension, but we are getting there. The country is heading in the right direction,” Dr Farrugia said.

Mr Mallia also said the Alliance would be meeting in the coming days to discuss this and other issues which it thought that the Budget overlooked.

“There is also the issue with those who are not one of the 12,000 benefitting from an increase, but are still approaching poverty. What are these pensioners getting?”

Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin noted its disappointment that the government would not be considering the introduction of the Second Pillar Pensions.

Malta, the union said, was the only country in Europe to not introduce this system.

The General Workers’ Union welcomed the measures an-nounced in the Budget speech and said that the government was addressing anomalies in the pensions with the aim of finding better, more sustainable solutions.