Labour leader Alfred Sant and his deputy Charles Mangion insisted this evening that under a Labour government overtime would continue to be paid at the current rate of time-and-a-half and said that the Prime Minister was manipulating the MLP promise to remove tax on overtime by homing in on a mis-quote.

Dr Gonzi on Monday read a comment given by Dr Mangion to the Malta Economic Update indicating that once income tax was removed, overtime could be paid at the normal rate rather than the present time-and-a-half. Dr Mangion said he had issued a correction the day after the report was published, and the MLP electoral programme, just published, showed that overtime would continue to be paid as at present.

Dr Sant said that the PN government itself had made such a proposal when negotiating the social pact back in 2004 but the unions opposed it and it was ditched. The government, he said, had proposed as part of the social pact that the first 100 hours of overtime be paid at the normal hourly rate.

In his address Dr Sant also recalled the MLP proposals for Valletta, including the redevelopment of the City Gate/Opera House area, a five star hotel to replace Evans Building, rehabilitation of Fort St Elmo and sea transport to the city.