Gender equality is one of the cornerstones of our work as a Labour Party. The PL electoral manifesto contains concrete proposals which, if voted in by the electorate, will certainly help achieve a more equitable Malta from a gender perspective.

Let me list a number of those proposals:

First, we are pledging that the contraceptive pill and the morning after pill will be distributed free of charge from pharmacies and health centres.

Similarly intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs), including hormonal ones, will start to be offered free of charge to all women as part of the health service.

And for the girls, menstrual products will be distributed in schools in Malta and Gozo in order to eradicate the stigma which is still associated with this natural process.

Another proposal which I found particularly important is the one dealing with breast cancer screening for women, which is being pledged to start at the age of 45 and not 50.

With regards to the measures being proposed by the Labour Party which incentivise having more women in decision-making positions in the commercial sector, I would like to refer to the pledge which says that companies with more than 50 employees and 40% of their executive management are women, are given a tax credit on the wages of these workers up to a maximum of € 50,000.

Also it a reimbursement of 30% of the three-year salary up to a maximum of € 6,000 to employers of women over the age of 40 who have been inactive in the labour market is being proposed.

These are all steps in the right direction.  This is not to mention the pledge on more focus on education to eradicate certain misogynous mentalities in Malta and the inclusion in the criminal code of femicidal circumstances which would lead to a harsher penalty in the case of homicide.

I would like to mention other pledges which come directly from the area of equality in a broader sense.  Particularly, reference should be made to the following pledges:

• That the gender reassignment operation becomes free of charge.

• That an LGBTIQ + centre will be opened with the aim of bringing under one roof a number of services and facilities provided by the Government and civil society to the LGBTIQ + community

• That the parameters governing blood donation start being the same for everyone.

• That PrEP and PEP medicines will start to be given free of charge.

More measures for the elderly

I found particularly interesting the proposals referring to our senior citizens, over and above the pledges which have extensively spoken about until now.  In particular, a new Labour Government will, if re-elected:

• Extend eligibility for energy benefits by raising the income threshold by at least €2,500 per year for low-income couples, including pensioners.

• Older people receiving supplementary assistance will be able to apply for free basic internet.

• The Senior Citizens Grant for those over 75 will be increased by €200 per year.

As a result, the elderly will see their income increase to €1,600 with improvements in pensions, energy benefits, the grant for homeowners and free internet for recipients of supplementary assistance.

Quo vadis PN?

The Nationalist Party remains the party that takes away from families and people.

This is crystal clear from the way with which the Nationalist Party tackled the issuing from the part of the Government of tax refund cheques.  They are dead set against it.  If it were up to them, those cheques would not have been issued.  Tonio Fenech, for instance, took to Facebook to argue against them. 

Instead, the PN is proposing a calculated tax credit as a percentage of the amount of tax that a person has paid a year earlier.

Effectively PN’s proposal means that being a parent earning €1,000 a month would get you a mere €22.50.  Compare this with Labour’s proposal which would give that same parent €135.

Also, those with an income below the tax threshold as well as those who are on single computation and married will be worse off with the PN’s proposal.  Thus, more than half of those who pay the tax today end up losing with what the Nationalist Party is proposing.

Only those earning more than €60,000 will be better off with what Bernard Grech is proposing.

Nationalist Party will force changes on businesses

The Nationalist Party is proposing that all the incentives it will be offering to businesses, if elected to Government, will be given only to those ESG-certified.  This ESG-certification is a non-financial reporting that is only required by large companies.

In our country we have more businesses that are micro or small.  So, the PN proposal on business, will be taking away from people more than actually giving to them.  If you look up the word "but" in the manifesto you will find it 87 times.  If you look up the word "criteria" in the manifesto you will find it 49 times.  If you look up the word "compliant" in the manifesto you will find it 41 times.

This stands out in stark contrast to a Labour Government that was side by side with businesses during the pandemic and will continue to be in the years to come.  What we are promising to businesses does not come with ifs and buts or terms and conditions.  We are clear 100%.

Nationalist Party which does not support pensioners

The Nationalist Party is saying that in order for pensions to remain sustainable, the private sector must build a new fund for pensions in our country.

This means that every business must contribute to a private pension for all employees.

In England, a basic private pension requires an 8% contribution. In other countries it rises to 10%.

Which means that a business with 10 employees earning € 20,000 each will have to pay an annual fee of € 20,000 in contributions.  And then a Nationalist Government will impose a new NI.

It is apt to be recalled that the Nationalist Party will also deprive elderly people of crucial financial aid on pre-1995 rents after a Labour Government reformed the obtaining laws on the matter.  Thus, the Nationalist Party, if elected, will deprive 10,000 families of a roof over their heads.

Truly, in 2017 the Nationalist Party was part of the coalition of confusion.

Five years later they do not need to be in a coalition to sink into confusion.

Even the manifesto ended up confused.

One moment they have over 700 proposals, another moment 500, the next moment 550 and so on.

One choice: Labour

I believe that the voters next week have only one credible choice: Robert Abela and the Labour Party. 

On 26 March, choose Labour.