Labour MP Carmelo Abela wrote nothing in his reply (October 12) that refuted my contention that the only government to freeze the minimum wage was the Labour government between 1982 and 1987. Rather than quoting hard facts, he resorts to quoting others’ opinions. Is this the brainpower on the Labour front bench?

Not only did an overdue Nationalist government remove the wage freeze but, over the years, various measures were implemented to help those on the minimum wage and, what is more important, to help them improve their skills and move up the ladder.

Mr Abela says that he is more interested in the future. Right. But, like his leader, he is careful not to share Labour’s plans with the electorate even at this late hour. To limit myself to the minimum wage. Besides Joseph Muscat’s withdrawn gaffe, we were given a glimpse into the future by Edward Scicluna’s statement that there should be a different minimum wage for youth. Why? Youth unemployment in Malta is the fourth lowest in the EU.

All this points to cheap labour as Labour’s main plank to maintain competitiveness.

What vision!