The Forum of Trade Unions said today that the pay of ministers and MPs should reflect the conditions of Maltese society.

The Forum was reacting to a report by a government-appointed commission which recommended generous salary increases to ministers, the leader of the opposition and MPs.

In terms of the proposals, MPs who opt to become full-time will see their pay triple – up to €60,000 per year. Should they decline the offer, their honoraria would still increase from €20,000 to €30,000.

The Prime Minister’s salary would increase by 90 per cent to over €94,000, whereas Cabinet members, the Opposition leader and the Speaker would earn about €70,000.

The Forum said that remuneration of politicians needed to reflect the reality of Maltese workers, who were the backbone of society. 

There needed to be fair distribution of wealth with no people being more equal than others.

The Forum said it could not ignore the recent miserly raise given to workers, despite economic growth. Furthermore, there were already anomalies in the pensions of MPs and the rest of the population. 

The union group called for a serious study on the level of pay packets for Maltese workers and said the principle of equity needed to be respected. It appealed to the prime minister to see to it that the same commission addressed the issue of workers' pay.