The party Momentum has issued a promise to increase the country’s minimum wage by over 60%, going from €221.78 per week to €360 per week.
Momentum made the pledge on Workers’ Day, as it called for a 1st of May which is for workers and not for slogans.
“While Malta has several thriving sectors, the current economic model often tips the scales too far in favour of developers, leaving many workers behind. Momentum aims to restore balance in Parliament, advocating for policies that ensure prosperity is shared by those who build our economy, not just those who own the skyline,” the party said in a statement.
“Workers in Malta and Gozo deserve more than a speech once a year,” Mark Camilleri Gambin, Momentum’s candidate in the 3rd and 11th districts, said. “95,000 people in Malta are still at risk of poverty. That is the result of decisions taken, and not taken, by the same two parties that will stand on a stage today and tell workers they matter.”
The party said that its manifesto sets out concrete commitments to restore fairness to Malta’s labour market.
Chief among these is a minimum wage “that reflects reality,” the party said. “The current minimum wage of €221.78 per week falls far short of what any person needs to live decently,” it said.
“Informed by Caritas’s own research, which estimated a decent living wage at €368 per week, Momentum is proposing an immediate increase to €360 per week, a €139 weekly rise that ensures no full-time worker is forced into poverty,” the party continued.
The party also proposed the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, noting that across Malta, care workers, security guards, and secretaries employed through agencies earn less than state employees doing the exact same job right beside them.
“This two-tier system is straightforwardly unjust, and in compliance with EU directives, Momentum will act to end it. The same work must mean the same pay, regardless of who signs the contract,” the party said.
It noted that unfortunately, Malta is far behind in preparedness for the implementation of the complex and imminent EU Pay Directive.
Momentum said that it would also advocate for flexible working arrangements, stronger parental leave provisions, and workplace policies “that make it genuinely possible to build a career and raise a family at the same time.”
Finally, the party noted that DIER, the body responsible for protecting workers remains under-resourced and without the teeth needed to hold bad employers to account. “Workers’ rights mean nothing if nobody enforces them. Momentum will work to change that,” the party said.
“Workers have heard the promises,” Camilleri Gambin said. “What they have not seen is action. This election, they have a real choice. Vote for the parties that have had decades to fix this and haven’t. Or vote for a party that exists because those problems were never solved. On 30th May, vote for a Bidla ta’ Vera.”
