Prime Minister Joseph Muscat today promised to raise the minimum wage, after giving unions and employers adequate time to discuss how to go about it.
Speaking at a political activity in San Ġwann, Dr Muscat said that if no agreement was reached, the government would introduce its own system for raising the minimum wage.
Dr Muscat argued that the government had already effectively raised the minimum wage by €4 per week, and in some instances even €15.
He said the government had borne the cost of this increase, as it would not have been fair to place the burden on employers without prior consultation.
Dr Muscat criticised Opposition leader Simon Busuttil’s stance on the minimum wage, accusing him of flip-flopping on the issue.
He also mocked Dr Busuttil’s stance over the new power station.
The Prime Minister said the country would have a 700-hour electricity shortfall under the PN’s plans, which involved the use of the Delimara 1 power station which is set to be closed down by the end of the current legislature.
Dr Muscat said a review of employment laws would seek to put women first, with current labour laws assuming that employees were male.
Speaking of a “feminisation” of the country, Dr Muscat said that putting women’s rights first benefitted all society.
Dr Muscat promised that the new laws would ensure that Maltese people and foreigners were treated equally by employees.
He said that part of the country’s economic success was down to foreign nationals, who often took up jobs shunned by Maltese.
He also spoke of the need to combat the fear among Maltese that foreigners took their jobs.
On the recent roundup of migrants, the prime minister said this was part of a wide EU crackdown.
This week, the police detained over 30 people from a number of African countries.
Dr Muscat said he backed the police’s actions, as these migrants would be sent back to their “safe countries”.
He said an EU-wide agreement had been signed with these countries, ensuring that the migrants’ rights would be protected in their home countries.
Dr Muscat said there was nothing to be ashamed of by sending people back to their countries.
He assured that migrants from “unsafe” countries would not be sent back.
On last Wednesday's meeting of his entire Cabinet in Brussels with the EU Commission, Dr Muscat was at pains to point out the mutual respect involved.
Questions have been raised about the involved of Minister Konrad Mizzi in Malta’s EU presidency, given his setting up of a company in the Panama tax haven.
An inquiry by the European Parliament into the use of such tax havens is under way.
Dr Muscat said that all of his Cabinet colleagues were respected by their Commission colleagues.
“Respect cannot be bought, it has to be gained,” Dr Muscat said.
He expressed pride in this respect, as while “others” had used all their possible resources to undermine it, the EU Commission went out of its way to show how much it respected the Maltese government, he said.