Judicious use of Malta’s resources is needed to better address the cost of living challenges, Malta’s green party said on Saturday.
“It is definitely commendable to subsidise the basic energy and water consumption for residential use, but blanket across-the-board subisidies do not make sense,” ADPD said, addressing workers at the Farmer's Market in Ta' Qali.
The party was referring to Abela’s recent reiteration that energy subsidies “for all families and businesses” will be kept as long as necessary.
ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said retaining subsidised energy and water use in order to mitigate the social impacts of an increase in rates in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine was important.
However, such subsidies should be focused on the vulnerable and low earners, he underlined.
Beyond subsidies applied to basic and essential energy and water consumption, there were no valid reasons for the current across the board subsidies of residential households, Cacopardo said.
"Those who can afford to run large domestic properties should be able to shoulder the increased cost of the energy and water they consume beyond basic consumption," he pointed out.
He added, there was generally no social need to subsidise petrol and diesel either.
The small number of cases where private vehicle use is required to address issues of disability could be addressed by focused assistance, he said.
Removal of fuel subsidies would signify a substantial increase in the price of petrol and diesel, which would be beneficial as it would signify an immediate reduction of cars from our roads, more judicious use of cars and a substantial improvement in air quality, he said.
“The adopted policy on subsidies should be revisited. Our resources are limited. We must use them judiciously to help the vulnerable,” concluded Cacopardo.
Raise minimum wage
Commemorating Workers’ Day this year, ADPD said it was important to focus on the cost of living challenges, since people were feeling the pinch of an overall rise in prices “more than ever”.
ADPD Deputy Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that “measly wages and the overall lowering of the standard of living seem to be the new norm.”
On a positive note, ADPD’s proposal of adjusting wages for cost of living twice a year, instead of an annual adjustment at budget time had been taken up by trade unions, the party said, expressing hope that developments in this direction would take place in the near future.
However, there was more that could be done in pushing for the adoption of a living wage, ADPD said.
The party explained that it had always been on the forefront when it came to adopting a living wage and "actually getting a paycheck which one can realistically live on" and called for studies on the living wage proposal to be concluded and published for public scrutiny.
“Even though we have a government continuosly boasting of economic growth, according to Eurofund our country has had the lowest increase in the minimum wage across all of Europe. One inevitably asks: who is gaining from this reported economic growth?” asked Gauci.
Gauci added that a number of employees are working extra hours or an extra job so as to try and maintain their standard of living.
“In Malta we just work and work some more. Clyde Caruana has ruled out that Malta will ever have a 4 day week. However, nurses are expected to work a 56-hour week,” she said.