Minimum wage cannot be 'one-size-fits-all', anti-poverty NGOs tell government

Minimum wage earners should receive income top-ups depending on their family setup, social justice NGOs have argued in feedback on new EU legislation that Malta must adopt. 

“We cannot have a one-size-fits-all system. What is adequate for a single person is not adequate to a person with children,” the Anti-Poverty Forum said. 

EU member states agreed last month to introduce a new minimum wage directive that seeks to ensure adequate minimum wages and strengthen collective bargaining across the 27-member bloc.

Among other things, the directive states that member states must evaluate minimum wages according to a set of stable and clear criteria and update them “in a regular and timely manner.”

Member states will have two years to implement the directive once it is passed by MEPs – a stage expected to be a formality – in September. Malta’s minimum wage currently stands at €182.83 per week – an amount that poverty reports have indicated is not enough to ensure a decent standard of living. 

In its statement, APF Malta said that while Malta should introduce a basic “adequate” minimum wage, in line with the EU directive,” different family set-ups had different needs. 

While the EU...