Pension discrimination

It is unbelievable to think that, nowadays, in our islands, pensioners who were born in 1961 or before receive about €300 less every four weeks compared to those who were born after 1962.

Whenever a person buys something, the price for those born in 1962 or afterwards and those who were born in 1961 and before is still the same… but not the spending power of the former pensioners. What fault do these pensioners have if they were born in 1961 or before?

Lately, it is being said that this anomaly will be reviewed. But when and how?

The reform that was made by the Nationalist government in 2006 or 2007 was implemented by the Labour Party. Therefore, both of them contributed to this injustice.

Lately, it is being said that this anomaly will be reviewed. But when and how? Photo: Shutterstock.com

Is the government going to address it in this budget or the next and how long will it take to tackle it, two, three or more years? These questions are being asked, because although several persons have raised their voices about this problem very little has been said by the government.

It appears that, in our islands, about 90,000 are subject to this injustice. So, why delay the decision?

It is time that those born in 1961 or before and who have worked more than 35 years (as required by law), even 40 years and more, will be entitled to a fair pension, reaching those who were born in 1962 or later in a couple of years.

I really am looking forward that, in the next budget, the government addresses this issue as a matter of urgency.

Many pensioners, today, do not receive the Treasury pension and are, therefore, given the ever-increasing inflation, struggle to cope with the high cost of living. 

It is time that justice will be done.

Charles Bezzina – Victoria

Where are we heading?

Correspondents remind us daily about foreigners already amounting to one-fifth of the population (at the time of the Knights, one third of the population around the harbour is said to have been foreign) and that our roads are log-jammed with cars. Catania (with roughly our population) and Perugia (half our population) both have recently inaugurated metros but we know better.

Correspondents also regularly remind us of an environmental and commercial disaster of an uncontrolled and unending building boom.

They also wonder why Labour wins elections with such huge margins.

There must be a significant number of former Nationalist Party voters who have recently switched to Labour to account for these previously unheard-of electoral majorities. Is it possible that these good citizens have switched to get building permits?

At the time of the Knights, we were the Mediterranean piracy and slavery centre; we are now heading to becoming the Mediterranean centre of what?

Albert Cilia-Vincenti – Attard