When, in June 2023, I first wrote about the anomaly in the pensions of pre- and post-1962 born pensioners, the Labour Party unleashed its battalions of Facebook trolls who, in their predictable style, tried to take me to the cleaners.
So far, no real problem. I am used to the insults of this army of servile trolls who, unlike the great majority of PL supporters, who know how to use their heads and think critically, blindly obey their political masters’ orders. For me, it was simply water off a duck’s back.
The affair became more serious when Minister Michael Falzon first took to Facebook to state that what I was saying was not true and then actually wrote an article in the Times of Malta to affirm that I was lying.
The minister was in panic mode, trying to hush a little 2023 Budget line that hardly anybody had noticed. The implications of those few budget lines was: €82 more a week for those pensioners who had paid the highest rate of social security contributions, Class D, but only those born after January 1, 1962.
When the pensioners realised that no major political party seemed interested in redressing the anomaly, they became even more concerned. In view of this serious concern, I could not but continue creating awareness on the gravity of the issue.
However, despite the initial negation, Falzon finally capitulated and the minister was constrained to admit that there did exist such an anomaly, also in view of the fact that, in the opinion polls, the Partit Laburista was in free fall.
Despite the lack of funds available – since Vitals, Steward, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Gladiator, et al, take precedence over Maltese pensioners – he promised that the anomaly would start being redressed.
Come budget day, a measly €9.47 were promised for 2024 to those who had paid the highest rate of social contributions, to start making up for the shortfall.
In December, Maltese pensioners started receiving from the social services department the calculations for their projected 2024 pension.
The following weekly rates, based on the different amounts and years of contributions paid, are a few examples:
Pre-1962 born pensioners
2023 2024
€135.57 €151.15 (also has pre- 1979 service pension)
€241.74 €257.72
€252.98 €268.56
€272.84 €288.86
€278.35 €293.66
Basically, those on the highest amount of pension, the last figure, have not had their €9.47 included. Is it because there was no time to add it in? Will they get it in February? Or will the government again use pensioners for its own electoral gain.
In fact, Falzon announced on January 18 that the €9.47 difference would be settled by June. Will we here have the usual vote-fishing trick, whereby this amount is handed out as arrears just a few weeks before the June elections?
We, therefore, seem to be heading for a triple whammy of cons that are to hit all pre-1962 born pensioners.
The €9.47 difference would be settled by June. The usual vote-fishing trick?- Arnold Cassola
The first group, made up of around 15,000 pensioners, are those who had paid the highest rates of contributions during their working life, Category D. These should start getting €9.47 a week before next June to make up for the €82-a-week shortfall.
At this rate, it will take them nine whole years to make up for the total shortfall. How many of these pensioners will bite the dust in this period? Special prayers and indulgences might have been commissioned on this at the finance ministry. And these are to be considered the lucky group.
We then have the other pre-1962 born pensioners, scores of thousands, who did not pay the maximum rates of social security contributions and/or for the whole 35 years needed to qualify for the maximum pension. It seems that these will not get anything at all. Granted that those on the lowest scale get a yearly sum in compensation. But this is a pittance and hardly contributes to maintaining a decent standard of living.
Do Clyde Caruana and Co. intend to ignore them, letting them deal with 2024 prices with an obsolete pension?
The ceiling on minimum pensions has to be immediately revised and increased to ensure that these pre-1962 born pensioners also get a part of the sum meant to redress the anomaly and, basically, get reasonable monthly adjustments in proportion to the category of social security stamps paid and to the amount of years of contributions that were paid.
Finally, the third group, the ones even worse hit by the reform introduced by the PN and implemented by PL: Maltese mothers. Maltese mothers born after January 1, 1962 are given by the State, and rightly so, four years’ worth of social security contributions for every child they bear.
However, mothers born between 1952 and December 31, 1961 are only given two years’ contributions for every child they bear. Why are they worth 50 per cent of a January 1, 1962 mother?
And, the cherry on the cake, pre-1952 born mothers get... zero for every child they bear. Why are these mothers worth zero?
Because we have an anti-feminist government and opposition that only use women (and pensioners) for their political gain and because we have governments that discriminate on the basis of age.
Malta ġusta my foot.
Arnold Cassola, is a former secretary general of the European Green Party and an independent candidate at next June’s MEP elections.