Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has designated the health portfolio to his predecessor Adrian Delia and elevated Darren Carabott to the position of home affairs spokesperson in a rearrangement of his shadow cabinet this Saturday. Jerome Caruana Cilia was moved from finance to the economy, with the former being assigned to Graham Bencini. Ivan J Bartolo, previously the party’s economy spokesperson, will be responsible for representing the party on employment issues and the creation of new economic sectors. (Times of Malta)
ADPD says parties not ready for emissions scheme
ADPD has censured both major political parties for their inadequate readiness regarding the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The party underscored that the implementation of this scheme, now encompassing ships with a gross tonnage of 5,000 tonnes or more, was widely known, and its potential impact on Malta’s maritime industry could have been foreseen by both PL and PN. During a press conference in Birżebbuġa, ADPD Chairperson Sandra Gauci addressed concerns about the parties’ apparent lack of foresight and condemned the ensuing panic and scaremongering. While acknowledging the potential benefits of the ETS for the Birżebbuġa community in terms of reduced air pollution, the party expressed disappointment with the eleventh-hour response and the dissemination of misinformation. (Maltatoday)
MEA says COLA not reaching employees
The Malta Employers Association has noted that although employers are mandated to provide compensation for the rise in inflation through the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), these increments are not reaching workers in their entirety. According to a statement from the MEA, it is estimated that around €40 million, intended as compensation for inflation to workers, is being reclaimed by the Government through income tax and social security contributions. The association emphasized that both unions and employers, in their budget proposals, had urged the Government to exclude COLA from deductions. However, this suggestion was not accepted. The MEA argued that exempting COLA from taxation proves to be a more effective measure than imposing reductions on supermarket product prices at retail shops. (TVM)
