Maltese minimum wage ranks 12th in EU

P.Borg

Feb 9th 2010, 20:19

That's actually not a bad thing. A minimum wage doesn't mean that unskilled people will get paid more, it means that they won't find work in the first place. Imagine you had a company would you employ a 5 euro per hour worker when he gave you 4 euros work of work? No...you wouldn't.

alfred agius

Aug 26th 2008, 23:41

Y Hesselman - Despite all the listing of expenses, you still manage to travel to Malta ` a lot ` and I am to believe that your trips to Malta are not the only ones you manage to make outside Holland. It will be interesting if you will enlighten us on your salaries and opportunities to keep a second and third job to suppliment your income
There is of course other data to consider : Minimum Wage Euro/Month (Malta 580 Netherland 1273) and so much more . Labour costs Euro/Hr (Malta 7.44 Netherland29.52).
Re Expenditure on Social Protection, per capita (Malta 2,879 Netherland 7605) This all goes to prove that there is more to contrast than to compare and that all in all you`re surely better off ! Still we appreciate your interest in the welfare of our society

R.Gauci

Aug 24th 2008, 16:16

Question: Is the Basic wage in Malta on the same level of the cost of living??

Answer: No

I made a challenge to prove that no one accepted it!!

@Angie Sciberras- I realy appreciate what you are saying cause I too moved to ROI - cheers

Ronnie Gauci

Aug 23rd 2008, 23:04

Unluckily the issue in most workplaces in Malta is not the minimum wage "per se" but for how long employees keep receiving it. I know persons especially salesgirls, deliverymen and hairdressers that have been for more than 10 years on the minimum wage with no increase at all if not for the one given in each budget.

I think something has to be done by the Government regarding this issue. Many employers in Malta "suck the blood" of their workers for years giving them the minimum wage and then when they are justly asked for a wage increase most probably will mean that is the time for them to fire their employees for daring to ask for it.

I think it is time for the minimum wage to be divided in different strata, the more an employee has been working with a company or person the more his minimum wage will increase. I think it is humiliating for any worker to keep a job for twenty years and still be on the minimum wage, this situation is very common here in Malta unluckily.

A Camilleri

Aug 23rd 2008, 22:52

I must admit, reading everyones comments makes for some good entertainment for a Saturday evening. I cannot help it, but the similarities between the commentators and Plato's Allegory of the cave are incredible.

You may visit http://www.bulldognews.net/cave-parable.html to understand what I am saying.

For an interpretation of the text you may go directly to the end of the text to comprehend what is being said. Have a nice Evening and Enjoy!

@Angie, you like me have had been enlightened. Good luck with your new life, and I sincerely mean it.

Angie Sciberras

Aug 23rd 2008, 22:39

Why are people taking this personally? We are talking about minimum wage earners here. Are the Maltese people who earn a measly €601.90 a month dining out every weekend? Are they the ones going on holiday every summer? Are they spending the rest of their summer in their house by the beach? I think not.
C.Zammit so Maltese children are the most pampered in the EU or is it the world? And they also have everything they wish for? You sure look at your world with rose tinted glasses.
I lived in Malta I know what its like. Sure the night life is good but that will not put food on the table or clothes on your children's back. And I wasnt even on minimum wage. So I can only imagine the stress those families living on €601.90 go through.
And I dont think they re the ones livin in nice houses and buying flashy cars at 18. If they do have a car it would on average be about thirty years old.

Chris Grillo

Aug 23rd 2008, 21:24

Thanks to all of you who answered to my comments, positively or not. This is the way to grow up! Like we said, there are advantages and disadvantages. Food and Clothes and Cars are MORE expensive here. No doubt, no discussion. Taxes are higher abroad. No discussion. There ARE free schools, colleges and universities abroad, No discussion. Safety on the streets here is worsening. @John Schembri .. we were discussing UK. Come on man! @Stanley Cassar Darien..I beg to differ about Asda veg. I can assure you that the beauty of the produce is incredible. 7am sees arrivals of huge trucks with fresh produce and milk. And any meat products not sold by 9pm are literally given away! @Anthony Felice. If my parents were abroad paying 90k Sterling (120,000Euro!!!)per year, I would buy them a small flat here and pay it off in a year! Always assuming they are healthy ok? 90 is a very respectful age , thank God. Unfortunately I returned here with my parents(15yr old)...and then I got hitched! Hehe...When you say restaurants here, PLEASE do not confuse pizzerias and little home-run restaurants. A real restaurant is anything but cheap here. Peace...

Charles Grech

Aug 23rd 2008, 20:50

Why are you so negative about Malta. To hell with the minimum wage and the unemployment benefits. If you are industrious enough you can earn a pretty decent living in Malta. Then you can enjoy a good quality of life: sun, fat-bottomed , big-bosomed girls, siesta, fenkata at Zurrieq, Gozo wine, pasta ta Cordina, tejatrin kulljum mill-parlament , and so on... Malta l-ewwel u qabel kollox!!

Stanley Cassar Darien

Aug 23rd 2008, 20:02

We can always find reasons why one country might be more attractive to live in than another one. The worst thing is staying in a country or city where you do not feel well or happy. Angie did the right thing and moved instead of staying and nagging.

The ROI is a fantastic country and she has made a home there for her family, there are of course Irish people who prefer to live in Malta, I have a lot of Irish friends who have moved here. When I was 19, I felt that I wanted to travel and work away, after 11 years, I moved back and really enjoying it so far. It's a personal choice though, we can never agree where the best place to live in is.

Australians: 5% of the country's population of 20 million are living overseas at any one time, and 20% of that diaspora is in London. Many go for work and stay for a few years, but many other put down permanent roots. On the other hand, according to a study done in 2006, there are more than 5.5 million British living abroad and Oz is their favourite destination.

Denise Vella

Aug 23rd 2008, 19:42

@Anthony Felice

Yes, St Vincent De Paule is nice for the elderly...If only the waiting list didnt make it impossible to get in except for the lucky few. For the majority who do not, it means selling the family house and hoping that one's life's savings will cover it, same as in Uk.

C.Zammit

Aug 23rd 2008, 19:30

The Quality of food we eat is much better. I have relatives who live abroad and they do not live half the life as maltese live. There is always something going on in Malta especially summer. See the cars Maltese people buy and from a very young age of 18! Then the nice houses which we have. Some people even buy summer houses. The only reason the Maltese live a good life is because we are very hard working!! The only life in the British islands are the pubs and bars ! Wow what a life!

C.Zammit

Aug 23rd 2008, 19:23

@ Angie. Again about university students. Did you know that it's free for everyone rich, middle class or lets say not so financially comfortable! Everyone gets paid at uni and we have what is so called a smart card which students can use to buy books, Magazines with. Even health care is free for everyone and you even get some of the medicines for free too! Go to Scotland then as I experianced it last order @ 9p.m. and people stay inside a lot for sure! Many Maltese people go out regularly yes! The people that go eat out maybe not so well of but if they where not they would not waste money on something like that! Nightlife in Malta is much better than in any other countries. Pubs and bars disco and restaurant close very late here in Malta. Not to include wine bars which are becoming popular everyday. These places continue to open and its because people go and they make good money (bar club restaurant owners). Compare the maltese kids with other kids from other countries and ours are much more pampared and nearly have everything they want and wish for.

Loïc Le Brun

Aug 23rd 2008, 18:53

Thank you for your interesting postings Mr. Fenech and Mr. Cassar Darien and all other.

I have been living in Paris for about 26 years and in The Netherlands for about 10 years. I don't think that life in Malta is expensive if you only consider the price of basic commodities. Nevertheless, good quality food, for example and when available is overpriced. Maltese bread is cheap and delicious but what about ham, cheese or meat. The quality of them, I am afraid to say, are of sub-standard, at least where I am living and you don't even have a choice.
What I have noticed from most of my Maltese friends is that they are happy with what they have, which is good. But most of them don't know what is available in other European countries.

Finally, re Mr. Hesselman comments, it is true that in Holland, we pay much more direct/indirect taxes but we get a good service in return and again the "average" wages are much higher.

Agie Sciberras

Aug 23rd 2008, 18:45

For your information the Republic of Ireland has absolutely nothing to do with Britian. I agree with you that Britian is expensive, I wouldnt live there myself.

University here is free and you get grants if you re hard up.

I have lived in Malta and I now live in Ireland. I can compare life in Malta with life over here. Quality of life here is much higher.

Fair enough you do not pay for Catholic schools over there. Dont you buy all the books and give donations? Not everyone has the opportunity to get into Catholic schools in Malta unlike here were there is a place for anyone who chooses that type of schooling for his/her children.

So the Maltese eat out so they are well off? Now I ve heard it all. Pubs here close late and even restaurants. I never heard of any restaurant taking last orders at nine.

And I know for a fact that there are pubs that close late in the UK. I was there last month.

Health Care is free here for people who cannot afford to pay something I agree with.

Emmanuel Zammit

Aug 23rd 2008, 18:36

WITH THIS WAGES & COST OF LIVING ...MALTESE WILL KEEP INCREASING GOING TO WORK ABROAD...SINCE WE CANT LIVE WITH SUCH WAGES................. SHAME TO THOSE PEOPLE IN POWER FOR YEARSSSSSSSSS NOW THAT THEY DIDNT DONE NOTHING...APART BLA..BLA...BLA ..TO HELP THE MALTESE PEOPLE.

Therese Vella

Aug 23rd 2008, 17:59

I think it all boils down to how one manages money earned. I have family members here in Malta who started from nothing, now they are lovely houses, two cars, a holiday with their kids every year and they even managed to buy another property near the sea. On the other hand, I have friends who can barely make ends meet, they spend loads on clothes and entertainment, but cannot afford a holiday abroad or even maintenance for their small houses. It's just how you live and what you do with the money you earn that matters not the country where you live.

C.Zammit

Aug 23rd 2008, 17:30

@ Angie. Everybody moans about the wages in Malta. Compared to other countries it's much cheaper. To start off with university is Free in Malta and students get paid for studying. Last year was in Scotland and the food, transport is very expensive there. Even going to a restaurant in Malta is cheaper. If you still think that no one lives a good life in Malta I suggest that you go to restaurants on weekends and see if you easily find a table. Transport in malta is much cheaper than in the uk and also food. I wonder if Ireland is the same as other British countries like Scotland. So to start off with shops close @ 18:00hrs and restaurants last order is @ 21:00 hrs! Now if you call that a good life wow!! For your info Maltese people go to a lot of holidays too! Also we don't pay for our garbage to be picked up! Health care is free so we do not need to pay an insurance to use Goverment hospital! Church schools are free in Malta and it's only private schools that you pay for.

Angie Sciberras

Aug 23rd 2008, 17:02

Well I lived the first ten years of my married life in Malta and it was very hard to survive although my husband was working full time. As soon as our children got older I got a job and the situation improved slightly although we could still only afford the bare minimum.

All that changed when we moved to the ROI in 2005. We both work full time and earn a decent wage. We take holidays, something we never dreamt of doin before. Our children attend Catholic state schools, free of charge. We would have had to fork out thousands to put them in similar schools in Malta.

Cost of living is the same as Malta or sometimes even cheaper. We dont even pay for water over here and university is free.

The grass is much greener over here in Eire. I d never move back to Malta. Sorry lads no offence meant.

Stephen Piccinino

Aug 23rd 2008, 16:22

Some people seem to have misinterpreted my message and thought I was indirectly bashing the Government with the current minimum wage policy. This in particular is directed to Mr Caruana and Mr Camilleri, who have answered my early comment on this article.

Such an interpretation is entirely false. Never did I concede that the present Government is doing anything wrong by keeping the minimum wage at its present level. My point was that, from the ideological point of view, it is only natural that the Government keeps a low minimum wage. This is because right-winged economists have throughout the years come to the fore to criticise such a measure, because, like fellow welfare schemes, are a disincentive to the worker to increase productivity.

Joe Vella

Aug 23rd 2008, 16:14

@ V Fenech

Luic le Brun indeed made some good observations, but you couldn't leave the politics out in your response. Here are three other reasons as to why the Maltese survive on thier wages.

Stanley Cassar Darien pointed out some very good reasons as to why the Maltese survive on thier wages.

There are many other reasons why they do, Three reasons that come to mind are; one is that there is no land tax in Malta; although a MLP Government run by DR. Sant tried to intoduce it. Mr. Fenech, remember it-taxxa fuq kull bieb.

The other reason is that for example the personal excemption in Malta is around 4,000.00 old Maltese liri compared to $7,500.00 Canadian Dollars, equivilant to 3,000.00 MLT Liri, to where I previously lived which is Canada.

The third reason is the cost of Education. In Malta University education is not only free but the students are paid a stipend. It cost about $20,000.00 CDN per student for each sholastic year. In the US it is even more expensive to send a kid to University.

Stanley Cassar Darien

Aug 23rd 2008, 13:29

@ Le Brun
Maltese families are very close, most pitch in and help, people inherit money and parents were and maybe still are determined to leave something for their kids. The average Maltese person also leaves home later on in life and so has more time to save for the ten per cent needed to buy his or her first house. The size of the island means that students can still stay with their parents and go to university without moving out. This has it's advantageous but then it also means that we have a lot of spoit brats.

Over sixty five per cent of women in Malta do not work, that is a very high percentage. The percentage of home owners is still very high though, I guess that both of these facts will have to start changing soon.

Y.Hesselman

Aug 23rd 2008, 12:16

@Alfred Agius
It's true that Maltese people on a minimum or average wage can't afford to travel alot. That's the same for Dutch people, for your information. You're not having it that bad in Malta at all. The extra money we make all vanishes to extra costs we have which you don't have in Malta. For example €120 health insurance a month, €80 garbage collection a month (1 person), €40 water (1 person), €110 electricity/gas (1 person), local council taxes (or however you waht call that) €75 a month and all other stupid things i forgot. Just the things i mentioned together amount €425, . These kind of things are cheaper or non existant in Malta and that you seem to forget! And it's not just those things, but overhere you literally have to pay big time for everything. Eating out is way more expensive, public transport is terribly expensive, petrol €1.60 a litre (with bigger distances to drive) and so on and so on..
Only things that are (slightly) cheaper are food in supermarkets and elecronics.

V Fenech

Aug 23rd 2008, 12:13

First of all I wish to congratulate all those denied from a proper wage and still continue to believe that the economy is leading higher. Your loyalty to politics is admirable!!

Le Brun made a very interesting remark. One has to make further studies regarding the social and economic aspects and the social reality of the Maltese population. Apparently the national census performed in Malta did not work well or else the authorities lack serious initiative to publish it. Such looseness reflects that the local system is not working well and surely it does need an immediate reform.

Considering all the points mentioned regarding luxurious lifestyles, one obviously may doubt of abuse and lack of stability shown by the one-part Maltese living and the data shown on paper.

Loïc Le Brun

Aug 23rd 2008, 11:54

I am very aware that the wages in Malta are very low even for
qualified people and I am always wondering how families can cope. On
the other hand, I see some people with luxurious cars, owning a boat,
having dinner in top restaurants...How do they manage? As a foreigner,
I still have to understand the social reality of Malta. Can someone explain? Thanks.

John Schembri

Aug 23rd 2008, 08:53

@ Chris Grillo : if it is hot in the kitchen ....get out of the kitchen.I am not sending you off to the UK , but if you are finding Malta an uncomfortable place to live in , try greener pastures .
Yes , Asda have good prices for quality products , but then why don't you go to Vietnam , Saudi , Thailand , China , Morocco or Egypt . There you can shop until you drop.

R.Gauci

Aug 22nd 2008, 23:21

Is any one ready for a challenge here and wants to bet 100,000 euros?

I will live & work 1 year in UK or Ireland and 1 year in Malta in the same job. I will live in the

same conditions that is no use of car, just purchasing food stuffs and other every day

necesity items,paying utility bills and living in a Rented place.Everything the same!

And then if I don't save at 3 times as much money in Ireland or UK I loose!

Any one up for it?

For you people who have a lump sum under your heads or inherited something its easy to

speak! Good luck to you after all. BUT

Talk to people who are not as above paying loans and rising up children and they tell you

how they struggle at the end of the month! (fortunately I am not paying any loan)

I love Malta cause I was born there,lived there for a long time and hopefully be buried there

and realy can enjoy life when you can afford it but don't mix up grass with gas and let's call a

spade spade ,not I am alright ........ Jack attitude sorry!

P THOMPSON

Aug 22nd 2008, 22:47

This article has obviously generated alot of interest having read below its comments.

For those believing living in the UK is far better, please come and see for yourselves.

Since the EU formed & the people of its countries within it have a choice were they wish to reside, the UK has been inundated with foreign nationals. From the moment these people set foot in the UK, their equal rights to all state benefits are identical to those who have paid into the system all their working lives.

I admire those who want to better themselves, however, not at the detrement of others. UK tax payers are paying millions of pounds in providing services such as interpreters, housing, hospitals, education etc.

A Camilleri, the UK is not going down the drain but already has. It appears, those who work to better themselves are penalised by paying high taxes to support either the lazy ones who sit back believing the world owes them a living or forgein nationals who come here for a better life, ripping the benefits that others have worked long and hard for.

cont ...

alfred agius

Aug 22nd 2008, 22:35

Y Hesselman `still visits Malta a lot`. No maltese on the minimum wage, and for that matter on an national average wage packet can afford to travel to an other country ` a lot` as Yvo does. We have a harder job to make both ends meet but, thank God, we are a thrifty lot and that`s why we survive.

Chris Grillo

Aug 22nd 2008, 22:25

@Anthony Felice.
I said in my previous posts that there are pros and cons. I too have families living in England.They live in beautifully kept council houses(in Southend), have nowhere near that much rent, and live extremely comfortably. They change their car every two years,They all come over to Malta two or three times per year.I swear.(But then they are not 90 yr olds. I agree they need more care at that age,and sincerely sympathize with them and you.) .And if you have ever had a relative in SVDPaule hospital, you KNOW that it is HORRIBLY overcrowded! Living is not just Asda and Primark. Of course it isn't. Those were just examples, since clothing and food are the main culprits of money spending. We have advantages ourselves too, such as safety on the streets, which I appreciate a lot....although rapid erosion in that area is also happening as we speak. And of course there is that special place in your heart that one calls home...Respect.

Stanley Cassar Darien

Aug 22nd 2008, 22:23

@Chris Grillo

I am going to stick my neck out here, and guess that you do not do a lot of cooking. The fruit and veg in the UK is of inferior quality, it has to travel long distances and looses a lot of it's flavour. There are certain winter and autumn vegetables there that are abundent and tasty, I prefer the Med diet though myself and love going to veg and fruit vans.Have you ever tasted a tomato in England? We need a really good farmer's market here, that would be amazing.The farmer's markets in England are brilliant.

I understand that I will not change your opinion, so let's agree to disagree, but the main thing that I can't stand about Malta is the negative mentality of a lot of Maltese. A lot of locals think that they are too special for a little island, which of course is a load of rubbish.You did decide to move here after 10 years living there, and don't think anybody put a gun to your head. If you have decided to live here, for whatever reason, try to be a bit more optimistic, you might even like it.

Stanley Cassar Darien

Aug 22nd 2008, 22:16

@Chris Grillo
1. It is a free country, and you have a right to your opinion. If everybody liked living here as much as I do, we would be in trouble, there is no space of course.
2. I understand that life can be hard here, I am sure that other families in other countries struggle as well, but I do hope that wages will improve here and that you will be rewarded for your hard work
3.I would never purchase anything from that place personally as I would not feel good about it, kindly do look up the working conditions in the Indian Asda and Primark factories online. There are others of course, don't want to pick on those stores, but we are just using them as an example.

Anthony Felice

Aug 22nd 2008, 21:53

It is the buying power of money in a particular country that matters. All other considerations are irrelevant. I live in Malta. Half of my family live in the UK. I will give one real, simple and practical example of what I mean. My 90 year old father in law has a pension of 40000 pounds sterling per year. He and his wife are in an old peoples' home. In the UK only those with total property amounting to less than 20000 pounds are entitled to admission to state homes. The WEEKLY charge for my parents in law at this home is 1800 pounds sterling (90000 per annum). They have had to sell their house and used up all their life savings to pay for this. Just in case some genius out there suggests that they are staying at some five star residence I will pass just one remark : St Vincent De Paul Residence puts the place where my parents in law are staying to shame in most respects. Living is not just Asda and Primark. Please Grow Up !

Chris Grillo

Aug 22nd 2008, 21:36

@Stanley Cassar Darien

1. I thought this is a free country. ergo...
2. I respectfully disagree. With my qualifications I expect to earn more and have more at the end of the month. I am the sole provider for a family of 4. There NEVER is any disposable income left. And I work in a prime private company.
3. For your information, Primark sells from high cost to low cost clothes.A case in point. 3 years ago the Italian national team changed technical sponsors from Lotto to Puma. The NEXT day, the NEXT day, ALL Lotto apparel was sold at 2sterling each! I bought a case-load of gifts.Even now in Malta diadora wear is still expensive. And as for workers in the far East getting bad deals...well what can we truly do about it?Fruit and veg in a water-starved country can never be as good or cheap as in one where it rains regularly. Forget it man...how can you be serious?
4. I have lived in England for a total of 10years.Guess that qualifies me enough. There are sometimes obligations and family ties that one cannot ignore.
Thanks for listening! Respect...cheers.

Stanley Cassar Darien

Aug 22nd 2008, 21:00

@chris grillo

1. why step into a blog like this if you have made up your mind already?
2. I have lived in both countries that you have referred to, and also Italy and Germany, and whilst I am no expert about economy, people in Malta seem to have much more disposabile income at the end of the month.
3.The shops you wrote about are very cheap shops indeed, Primark sells low quality clothes, and not too sure if you know what kind of conditions workers experience at their factories in the Far East. Big supermarkets are killing all competition in the UK, and also pay farmers very little for their produce. Fruit and Veg is of a much superior quality here and still really cheap actually. I try to shop in local small shops when I can.
4. If you feel so strongly that Malta is not the place for you, I would advise you to try living away for a while, it's really easy, plenty of jobs available, and it would be a great learning experience.
The worst thing you could do is stay in a place where you are so unhappy, life is too short. Good luck........

Chris Grillo

Aug 22nd 2008, 20:16

For a start, the wages here in Malta are definitely way too low. As for comparing Malta to UK...the cost of living is far far far more cheaper. I dare anyone to go to Asda (supermarket) and Primark (clothes company), and compare the purchases from there to local shops. WE ARE SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE HERE IN MALTA. I dare anyone to contradict me. No way in he** you can convince me! There are of course downsides to living in uk too, as happens everywhere. But given my chances I would leave this hot, dusty, corrupted, crazy island behind me. And the bloody heat drives me crazy!

Joz Camilleri

Aug 22nd 2008, 16:52

OK OK, try living in Italy. Now I might earn 4,000 Euros a month on paper but when taxes are deducted I get something like 2,500 in my pockets. Besides we have no surcharge here on water, electricity and gas but our prices rise practically every month.

We have been granted by our new government a respite on our taxes by not paying any house tax on our home BUT what did councils do? Well well well, they raised the tax on rubbish collection. This year I have to pay 399 Euros instead of the 247 Euros I paid last year. Our car insurance is about 250 Euros every six months for a 1100 cc car, for example.

Try to consider the rates of interest in the banks... they are almost nil and you have to pay about 10 Euros a month on certain bank accounts!!! Consider the 19% interest rates on certain credit cards. 29% seems to be the normal Income Tax rate we are constantly paying.

I wonder how, when I lived in Malta, I could save money, buy anything practically, have three holidays a year and here in Italy we sometimes struggle to survive?

Theres Vella

Aug 22nd 2008, 15:30

It's true that wages in this country our a pittance but not all is bad. In other comparative tables, Malta's health care ranked among the best in the EU and in one particular study, the Maltese came first in how happy they are in life....this in spite of people like A Daley and other Maltese "gemgem".

Dennis Debono

Aug 22nd 2008, 15:26

To all who commented on the UK.

My brother in law has been living in the UK for the past 5 years now and this is my view re UK-Malta.
-Taxes and NI are more expensive in the UK
-Travelling and fuel is more expensive (£19 for a bus ride from Cambridge to London and back)
-Council tax (to pay for services which are free here, like rubbish collection, firemen, police, street lighting)
-Food is generally higher especially meat, even from supermarkets
-services are much higher (hair dresser/barber, dentist, doctor, mechanic, optician)
-eating out is much higher (do not think of doing it weekly)

Cheaper things are normally:
-toys
-clothes
-electronics
-travelling abroad (air tickets)
-McDonalds

I do not know why but my brother in law often waits to come to Malta to have a hair cut, and there are also dentistry holidays from the UK to eastern Europe.

-Pick your choice for total overall quality of life.

Andrea Falzon

Aug 22nd 2008, 14:01

If our wages were higher we would not attract other invertors, risking also that companies would choose other destinations! Being a small country we need investment and many jobs depend on foreign! So well done to Malta!

dvella

Aug 22nd 2008, 13:41

Mr. Catania 12th out of 20th? I suggest you read the article again and then comment....

Y.Hesselman

Aug 22nd 2008, 13:22

I have lived both in Malta and in Holland and still visit Malta a lot. While the minimum wage in Malta is lower than that of Holland I can assure you that Malta is a lot cheaper place ( and better!!) to live. The Maltese people seem to think that it is only in their country that the prices go up all the time. Wake up to reality, prices are going up in all countries, not just in Malta.

Phil Tucker

Aug 22nd 2008, 10:42

There is no doubt at all that the cost of living in Malta is hugely, massively less than that in the UK. We visit Malta every year to spend time with Maltese friends (who both work for the government). They may earn less than we do but with a fraction of the outgoing that we have to deal with.
Rather than just consider income I really think that overall quality of life is what is really important. If you count that rather than just hard cash then Malta would probably rank at the top of the charts.
For the standard of living on Malta to improve for all then I think that the country needs to get some kind of control of its "black" economy.
I would gladly swap many aspects of our over governed lives in the UK where our huge governement machine wants to control everything about the way that we live and interfere in pretty much everything that we do for the more laid back attitude of Malta.

Marcello C. Savona

Aug 22nd 2008, 08:49

with all these statistics and the advent of how the pay of a professional is much less than the pay of a professional abroad,,, one must bring around one question.....
why arent all the companies in Europe situated in Malta ?
Is it because we have a skilled worforce, or is it because our skilled and professional workforce emigrates for a better life, and companies find no professional people to hire !

Joe Galea

Aug 22nd 2008, 08:46

And we have disovered that "The Finanzi are not fis-Sod"!!!

Why you little elves are accusing this perfect government: We scored low on wages, but who cares about wages!! Who needs money in this country full of bliss!!

We score high in taxes, incompetence, scaring tourists away, corruption, dirt, inefficiency, high cost of living, and the list goes on and on!!!

Christopher Galea

Aug 22nd 2008, 08:03

@ the person who said that rubbish is not collected at Golden Bay even for days on end.............I can assure you that you are grossly mistaken. I happen to visit Golden Bay a number of times weekly early in the morning and I can assure you that the beach and its areas are cleaned on a regular basis. The cleaners are doing an excellent job every morning. One can notice fresh bin bags daily and empty bins. This I can vouch for..........as long as we are refering to the same Golden Bay. I am talking about the one between Gnejna and Mellieha.

Denis Catania

Aug 22nd 2008, 01:18

Next time 28 illegals come in, 28 Maltese jump on the boat and go to Libya. 12th out of 20 is higher than the middle.

Lorry Caruana

Aug 22nd 2008, 00:14

I'm sorry but i have to comment. im going to talk seriously but dont want anyone to think that i'm a racist. but please ry to understand me. yes the maltese goverment is doin a lot of wrong things. but could we ask why the taxes are going so high in uk and malta? isnt it that in malta and uk loads of immigrants are choosing these countries? so we pay a fortune of taxes and the immigrants get free cigarettes, free mobile cards, free water and electricity and what are we having back? rise in taxes, rise in criminality, rise in drug trafficking?

A Camilleri

Aug 21st 2008, 22:58

Where does the UK come into this? I am sorry for you British sympathizers, but there are far better off countries than the UK in EUROPE. The UK has just become a follower and is going down the drains. Sorry but it’s the stark truth. If the UK was so great why do so many British flee the UK in the first place? Do not tell me it’s the weather. There is much more to life than that.

Kevin Zammit

Aug 21st 2008, 22:39

I lived in Canada and now in the UK. Europeans in general will complain no matter what. The english complain about their railwy system even though 98% on time and an excellent system. The Italians and French complain as well but then are always enjoying a fantastic social life
in canada i find them to be very individualistic and loners, never complain about nothing but I'm still trying now to figure out what they live for. There I made the average family household income alone but barely made ends meet. I work in England because I like the people and because that is how one gets to experience other peoples' way of life. I do not like the drinking culture, I think family unity bad, and weather sucks but I am happier than in Canada and admire their social attitude.
Minimum wage is just a number. The better educated one is the more one starts to appreciate the better qualities of life and the more one earns ... and so the more one spends.
Does anybody know how expensive Luxembourg is? I hear it is ridiculously expensive.
Next is Italy ... Will keep you posted :)

Matthew Scerri

Aug 21st 2008, 21:38

Having a minimum wage this low is not what worries me. its when you start to compare it together with cost of living that things start to get a little bit too worrying.

André Xuereb

Aug 21st 2008, 21:15

J.Spiteri: Erm... I am a PhD student and I earn £12,700 a year, which equals roughly €16,000 with today's conversion rate. So, no, I am not talking rubbish...

Joseph E Briffa

Aug 21st 2008, 19:51

I would like to apologise for the mistake in my calculation at the end of my comment The figure of Eur12 000 should obviously read Eur4 000 per month; and the 'sixfold increase' should read 'doubling'.

Stanley Cassar Darien

Aug 21st 2008, 19:35

@ A Daley

Moi? PN apologist? Fantastic haha. I only voted for PN once, out of three elections so don't really think so, but anyway. I did quite well in London actually, thank you very much but I was speaking in general. Nobody puts a gun to anyone's head to stay in a country these days, we can all work wherever we want really. It's really simple, a lot of us were doing it before we joined the EU, now it's even easier. It's a real pity if someone is unhappy somewhere and decides to stay there, life is way too short. You have a right to stay or go, personal choice.

Stop nagging, no goverment or system is perfect, and your future is in your hands. Lawrence and Joseph are both valid politicians and gentlemen so things can really improve over the next five years, let's stop playing these petty political games, cause we are loosing so much time. For me, being Maltese is always going to be much more important than being PN, Labour or AD. I love living in Malta, because I am in love with the country, nothing to do with any political party really. sorry.

R.Gauci

Aug 21st 2008, 19:01

@ Paul Barrett

Did u ever tried to buy a Sliced wholewheat loaf from tesco 1.42 euros it costs (check 1 similar to it in Malta last I bought it 1.52 euros- lm0. 65cents ) and its bigger!

Don't mention Cigarettes or Spirits those are not essential everyday needs and they are heavily taxed to avoid people from those bad habits and cure diseases from their revenue.

What about Electricity and Water rates tell us please how much they cost so we can compare!

In UK you have cold and in Malta we have hot weather . With what a/c and fans work?

People which live in cardboard boxes most of them choose that way of life 1 classic example was the Maltese Tramp !

You have also people living on the dole going around in BMW'S and Mercedes!!

Why repair a car when you can afford to change it every 6-8 years?

Come on Mr. Barrett. Look at the football stadiums in the UK every weekends packed with people where tickets cost a fortune and you get the answer where its still the best purchasing power in hand and the grass is greener!!

D Fenech

Aug 21st 2008, 18:48

Are we expected to shout hurrah????????

At least we are not last eg Eurovision!!!!!

I thought that many Maltese believed they were English!!!!!

Who are we taking for a ride???? Look at the names of the countries lagging behind us!!!!

Paul Barrett

Aug 21st 2008, 18:38

@ Charles.j.Schembri.
There is always a counter argument - the figures in the article do not mention Income Tax, or NI. Having worked out tax on income in both Maltese and UK, the UK taxation is higher than that paid in Malta.
Yes, I drive in Malta - well try to but thats another matter LOL. Yes I fill my tank and get about 32 miles per gallon which on a small island like Malta is quite a long way and not bad for the start stop crawl type driving here.
Surcharge - the fuel bills are constantly going up higher and higher in the UK as well, they just did not call it a surcharge, just a price rise.
If you did not understand the bit about the clouds and rain - just imagine it raining all day for weeks on end with no sun - it is depressing and it happens often in the UK. - hence another "quality of life" aspect.
Bread prices - I was comparing "fancy bread" prices which are not subsidised - the current Maltese bread subsidy is on Maltese bread only.
Life is not all bad in Malta.

Stephan Camilleri

Aug 21st 2008, 18:13

We Maltese have always been damm to copy the Uk, our business community and also our politions. Why don,t we have our own ideas is because we lack creative thinking, thats why we ended in this stagnation, every thing is so expensive, I wonder How people are living with our minium wage.

alfred agius

Aug 21st 2008, 18:10

In the contest of this stark fact, how is it that we are constantly being reminded that we should not ask for more or else we will lose our competitive edge !
It will be interesting what salaries cum perks do senior staff receive and are kept under wraps and considered confidential while the workers have to pick up the crumbs that fall under the table... No wonder that the french and russians could not tollerate such a wide concertina and social disparity within their society. But, here in Malta, fighters for social justice are branded as working against the interest of the nation. What we need is priests with a social conscience to return to Malta from their experience and direct involvement in the social problems in South America and take up the plight of their downtrodden brethren in our Island. Why do we keep talking on social exclusion and people living on and below the poverty line, recognise these stark facts but do so very little about them. Statistics in this respect should make those who care shudder with horror and vow to help those who cannot help themselves. So much injustices and inequalities still rampart and ignored.

Charles.j.Schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 17:43

Part 2
You need vastly more electricity and or gas to heat your living space and they are by no means cheap - plus it is cold in the UK for many months of the year. yes for a part, but what about our surcharge of 95%
OK a new car is cheaper but the road fund license is very expensive and you will be lucky if it is still classed as roadworthy at six years of age (higher mileage and very strict road tests high repair/maintenance costs). I I hope you drive in Malta also......
There are people living in cardboard boxes in places in London - will soon come to that my friend
The grass always seems greener on the other side - it is for some. no way the figures talk for them self

Charles.j.Schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 17:43

Part 1

Paul Barrett
Minimum wage vs. cost of living is one thing - Quality of life is another thing altogether. I like this phrase...very much.
UK wages may sound high but you have to pay out a lot more in the UK to get anything like the standard of living that you can get for your money over here. really like what tell us
Try 1.53 euro for a 400gr loaf of bread. shortly it will come to that wait till January when there is no subsidiary
Around £5 + (euro 6.25+) for 20 cigarettes in Malta they are not cheap
Travel distances are far greater and vastly more expensive both public and private. do you fill your tank?????????
Then there are the weeks and weeks of rain with hardly any sun. sorry did not get it?????

Charles.j.Schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 17:34

B.Caruana i agree with most of what you wrote, and true everone fault Gonzi....so with the same thinking, why always you guys blaming Mintoff.....what good for the goose .....


Maltese never change do they!!!!

F X Cassar

Aug 21st 2008, 17:28

@ Mr Daley. Hurry up Dear Sir. The Olympic Games will be coming to their end next Sunday. May be you will get the third medal, that of BRONZE, BUT neither the SILVER nor the GOLD ones. Good luck for your misinterpretations. By the way I see that you are a very BRAVU calculator! Keep it up my friend!

F X Cassar
Xlendi Gozo

A Daley

Aug 21st 2008, 17:10

Stanley Cassar, It is the DISPOSABLE INCOME that matters, u mela il-pizza kollha zejt hdejn tal-bocci.

Why do you not mention whether you were a student or let us know what you were earning?

More deceit from PN apologists!

Joseph E Briffa

Aug 21st 2008, 17:08

I think the minimum wage in Malta is not that bad considering that this is what unqualified people get. What is a downright shame is that the skilled workers are not compensated; do they get 20% more like in other EU states - bar Bulgaria, Rumania etc? The wage concertina was narrowed appreciably in Mintoff's time in typical socialist fashion and unfortunately it has remained the same after twenty five years. If we want to incentivise people to better thair qualifications and skills we must widen the concertina. A top civil servant gets something like Eur2 000 a month gross, but his/her take-home-pay is only around Eur1 500, which is only 2.5 times the minimum wage. If you compare the ratio between top (net) and minimum wages to that in Germany, Luxembourg, U K, Ireland, France one would find that the ratio is more like 4 to 5 times which would mean that top gross salaries would have to go up some sixfold in Malta to something in the order of Eur12 000 a month. Until such time as this comes about the qualified locals will seek pastures new in the other EU states.

Paul Barrett

Aug 21st 2008, 17:04

Minimum wage v cost of living is one thing - Quality of life is another thing altogether.
UK wages may sound high but you have to pay out a lot more in the UK to get anything like the standard of living that you can get for your money over here.
Try 1.53 euro for a 400gr loaf of bread.
Around £5 + (euro 6.25+) for 20 cigarettes
Travel distances are far greater and vastly more expensive both public and private.
Then there are the weeks and weeks of rain with hardly any sun.
You need vastly more electricity and or gas to heat your living space and they are by no means cheap - plus it is cold in the UK for many months of the year.
OK a new car is cheaper but the road fund licence is very expensive and you will be lucky if it is still classed as roadworthy at six years of age (higher mileage and very strict road tests high repair/maintenance costs).
There are people living in cardboard boxes in places in London - The grass always seems greener on the other side - it is for some.

Nik Xuereb Conti

Aug 21st 2008, 17:00

Our major problem in Malta is that we import most of the goods. However I still can not understand why for example an item of clothing in Uk, Ireland and Malta are priced the same. I was very stunned to see an item of clothing I had both in London to be priced with the exact same price tag in Malta, at the time converted to Lm and the STG price crossed out. The same item in Spain was much cheaper!!! How can certain items be affordable, when we are in a situation where a person in the UK doing the same job gets almost the double of a maltese the salary????

A Daley

Aug 21st 2008, 16:55

@B Caruana, Even if some one gets bitten by a mosquito, it's Dr Gonzi's fault. - unquote.

Yes me dear B Caruana, it would also be Gonzi's fault, because it is his Government that is leaving overflowing skips especially the ones by the seaside with all kinds of rubbish for days on end - sometimes even weeks. Been to Golden Bay lately?

So you see, even others can do politics, B Caruana style!

R.Gauci

Aug 21st 2008, 16:43

@ B.Caruana

We came 19th in minimum wage ranksl( if you add the other 7 countries which were not included and they sure all have better wages).
Now I will would like to see in which place we come in the cost of living list?
I had to leave Malta and my family cause its impossible to live with a minimum wage!
I am living in Ireland and can tell you that here cost of living for every day stuff is the same as Malta and some things like electronics etc. cheaper! At the end of the month you always finish to save money!
If any one wants a prove I have all receipts in hand!
I speak with other foreigners here Estonians,Polish,Hungarians ok its true they have lower wages in their counries but even the cost of living is lower and when buying houses!
Before entering the EU we were compared to countries like Ireland I still remember the PN
spokespersons saying that we will do good as them once we join the EU and life would be better ! Do you remember?
So who promised better standards of living? Or we can't even ask questions now ?

J.Spiteri

Aug 21st 2008, 16:43

@André Xuereb
Dear Sir, you are talking aload of rubbish!!! if you are a medical student or a Junior House Doctor, you will only get £30k at the most !!!! and working alot of hours(90 hours), once you spend at least 3 years as a House doctor, then wages do go up, a General Practician gets no more than £100k but that is after quite a few years practising.
If you are a Phd in Engineering or any other field, you are still way too hign, I know I lived in England for 36 years, believe it or not the streets in UK are not paved in gold as you may think.
All I can tell you is go and work in England and you will soon find out.
By the way the minimum wage is £5.52 per hour over the age of 22 years old in UK, opps that is nearly equal to here, plus you have to pay higher taxes ie normal tax and NI and of course house rates, etc...

Stanley Cassar Darien

Aug 21st 2008, 16:38

@ Dave A Caruana.
I love the bit where you say, with a bit of care......

You can get a roast like that in pubs that do not even have a music licence (getting a music licence in London costs a lot of money and older men do not mind sipping cheap ales in quiet) and what about council tax? I used to pay a hundred sterling a month. What about transport costs? With a bit of care in Malta, you can go and play bocci at the local club, stuff yourself with free cheese and crackers, timpana and chicken wings.

The question that one needs to ask is, which country provides me with a better quality of life?
It depends on what one is looking for really, impossible to compare countries, life is not a matter of figures but feelings.

charmaine mangion

Aug 21st 2008, 16:25

what a shame but we're in the EU mhux dak l-aqwa!!!!!!!!!! yeah just for the name of it

B.Caruana

Aug 21st 2008, 15:49

@ Stephen Piccinino, This got nothing to do with who you vote for or not, do start blaming the government again. Here on this blog, I feel sick reading it's the government's fault for everything!! Even if some one gets bitten by a mosquito, it's Dr Gonzi's fault. Mr Piccinino, if you guarantee me that if Mlp is in Government, the minimum wage rises to Euro1,600 I will vote for them. If you want to do politics, I can do as well!!!!

Maltese never change do they!!!! Everything modern, but 1970's mentality

A Daley

Aug 21st 2008, 15:37

And had it not been for Labour to introduce the minimum wage in Malta (while it was being opposed by PN), we would not even compete!

A Camilleri

Aug 21st 2008, 15:27

@ Stephen Piccinino. Of course, if we had the other party in governent things would have been different. Yeah right......give us a break

Dave Alan Caruana

Aug 21st 2008, 15:20

With a bit of care, cost of living in London is actually less than Malta - the only thing which is vastly more expensive is the charge to rent an apartment. Food, goods, internet access, phone charges etc. are generally cheaper than Malta (and the locals complain they are too expensive!). It is possible to have a top notch sunday roast, including a pint of beer for 7.19 stg. in a central london pub!! (about eu. 8.5)

Stephen Piccinino

Aug 21st 2008, 15:16

You get according to who you voted for. The incumbent right-wing Government would be unwilling to raise the minimum wage, believing in the disincentive effect it may bring about.

André Xuereb

Aug 21st 2008, 15:11

Small correction. €1,330 a month for us students. But still..!

André Xuereb

Aug 21st 2008, 15:10

Mr Buhagiar: It get worse... A PhD student here in the UK earns £12,700 or roughly €1,500 a month. And then we wonder why all the good students are leaving the island...

Joseph Buhagiar

Aug 21st 2008, 15:03

This means that the average monthly minimum wage of Luxembourg (€1,570.28) is higher than that of a Lecturer (with a PhD) at the University of Malta.

Well ... at least its better than that of Bulgaria or Romania or Latvia. But might I remind you that the cost of living in Malta is very similar to that of the UK (not the London areas).

...shame.