A considerable number of people in employment are at risk of poverty because they can barely cover their daily needs with their salary, the Green Party has warned.
Despite having a government trumpeting an increase in GDP, there are an estimated 100,000 people in Malta at risk of poverty and social exclusion, according to the National Statistics Office.
And this is the result of an economy based on a policy that keeps wages as low as possible, ADPD told a news conference on Saturday.
Chairperson Sandra Gauci reiterated its call for the introduction of a living wage, a minimum wage that allows one to live with dignity.
"We want more decent affordable housing because a good percentage of those at risk of poverty live from rent to rent. The government can also encourage housing cooperatives, which can offer an alternative to renting from the private market. The Cost of Living Allowance should be given twice a year and a new economic model is needed, based on the well-being of the person and not held ransom to the GDP statistic," she said.
Despite the challenges coming from abroad, the government can do much more to improve quality of life, especially for the poor and those at risk of poverty.
Gauci said her party is calling out for rights, not government handouts as well as a government that spends wisely.
"We have a government that indulges in vanity projects like a film festival that cost millions and wastes money on green walls that end up being removed. Then we have people who have to go to the soup kitchen to eat.
"We want to move beyond politics that only looks at statistics and not the health and quality of people's lives. We must move from a policy that promotes rampant consumption at all costs to a policy that safeguards our mental and physical health, where nature is safeguarded.
A business that is not able to pay decent wages has no place in our country. At the same time, the government should see how to better regulate agencies that offer cheap labour, this is contemporary slavery, she said.
ADPD general secretary Ralph Cassar said: "It is evident to all that for quite a number of people, the increase in spending on essential items is causing extra stress to families that are struggling to survive, from paycheck to paycheck."
It is a reality that starkly contrasts with the government boasting about the Gross Domestic Product increase. But who exactly is benefiting from this wealth, he asked, especially in the context of a huge increase in food prices.