‘Ministers’ aides placed in higher salary scales than predecessors’ – where’s the Eur500 bandwagon now?
Published:
April 5, 2013 at 10:45am
The Malta Independent reports (link to story below):
Top officials in the newly set up ministries are believed to have been employed in higher public service salary scales than their predecessors, The Malta Independent has learnt.
Camouflaged by new terminology that has been used for appointments in ministries and parliamentary secretariats, the aides have been placed one or two notches up in the pay scale.
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http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-04-05/news/ministers-aides-employed-in-higher-salary-scales-than-predecessors-1330479104/
The article isn’t even fully correct.
It says a higher salary for SAME responsibilities.
To be fair, it’s much less work. Each Ministry has been divided in two or three. So that’s less work for each individual.
Less work, less reponsibilities and of course less capababilities with less meritocracy.
And it is even worse.
They have done this behind our back, without stating this fact in public.
When all the government appointments have been finalised, I expect the Opposition to make a PQ requesting the cost of the new fully inflated public service and chairmen, consultants, etc.
You don’t need to wait for parliament to convene to do that. You can make a request yourself under the Freedom of Information Act introduced by the previous government:
https://secure2.gov.mt/FOI/home?l=43B1FE761FE51D49B79B53A17BBED958E92687B53C6D6161
Not all the government appointments are in place yet La Redoute so will have to wait just the same.
This is all well and good, but it is expected that that young journalist from The Times, who made the scoop of the euro 500, should give us insight of the annual expenditure of the ministries and secretariats, and also asks pertinent questions about the contracts being signed with the extra civil servants, especially the new head of civil service.
Besides the salaries and perks it will be interesting to know what sort of hand shake is included at the end of the contracts.
Actually you can’t, not unless the information is already available in a document.
The Freedom of Information Act gives people the right to access or acquire copies of documents that already exist.
For other kinds of information, you would need to table a Parliamentary Question through a Member of Parliament.
Anthony Briffa, do you really believe that a young journalist at The Times made a scoop about the 500 euro? It doesn’t work like that.
The incoming Labour government seems to be like a bunch of hungry boys let loose in a chocolate factory. They are still engorging themselves on power. What will happen when the economic reality starts to bite? My bet is that they will blame the PN and their lack of “cooperation”.
With a 9 seat landslide?
I feel sorry for the Maltese people and the PN itself when it has to repay the EU bailout that we will require eventually.
Indebting our great-grandchildren just as Zapatero did in Spain, and Hollande is doing in France, is not a good way of enamouring the electorate.
I trust the Maltese will be able to compare the performances of the PN and the socialists rationally and conclude that the former brought Malta into the First World whilst the latter dug us into an undemocratic, clientilist hole.
they have already started blaming PN
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-04-05/news/pm-addresses-journalists-on-2013-budget-1331986432/
The Eur500 bandwagon has taken up residence in Auberge de Castille.
What a dishonest regime, the one of Tana Lkoll.
There has never been such blatant deceit in the face of the Maltese (excluding the ones who did not believe lejber!) than what happened this election. I can’t see how Joseph can face the people with these disgusting appointments.
Face the people?
He could eat their newborns ‘live’ on One TV and they would still vote for him.
Simple. KMB kellu ras ta’ xkupa. Dan ghandhu wicc ta’ broxk.
He isn’t facing journalists. He’s hiding.
Why not?
The guy is a trained professional liar with plenty of experience under his belt.
Muscat has been facing the people on his portable flying carpet/urinal podium all over Malta and Gozo and telling fibs with a straight face while campaigning for the election.
Meritocracy at its best…
INDULGE. IFFANGAW. What a carry on !.
As we all suspected, the whole 500 Euro outrage was a load of hot air, just something to be outraged about without actually caring.
If there were so many people dying of starvation then the whole electorate would be up in arms about the hypocracy of the PL for doing worse than a mere 500 E a week pay rise for the underpaid ministers.
But no, now they don’t mind. It’s all ok because it s the PL who are doing it so they automatically understand it.
This isn’t a question of double standards, its a question of hypocricy, not just of the politicians but also of the PL voters themselves.
The PN has been forced to feel that it is out of touch with the people because so many people were unhappy with things that the PN just didn’t understand of think would be a problem.
But they were right all along. All the objections made by the PL voters were nothing to worry about really, which means the PN were doing the right thing all along.
If I am wrong then the PL should be strung up by their own petard, because the voters, who care so much about keeping politicians’ pay as low as possible until everyone can afford to buy meat, should be very angry about this whole affair.
First a Cabinet so big the can’t even fit around the table, and now this. In total, how much more is this government going to cost the voter…..I mean, taxpayer?
This seems to be a small contribution on the opposite side…
http://www.inewsmalta.com/dart/20130405-ermen-il-did-tal-mepa-salarju-ta-17-000
I’d like to see a report in a year’s time about all payments done to each and every government appointed person in the higher scales with a comparison between PN on Jan 01 2013 and PL on Jan 01 2014,
Even, better, a live site for all government expenditure on a 365 days/year basis showing how the taxes most (but possibly not all) of us pay are used.
When you pay peanuts you get….
Vince Cassar is also a pensioner and a salary to top up his pension is very comfortable. Will he be putting in as much hours and effort like Walker?
Mhux ta’ b’xejn Musumeci m’accettax.
“The multitude,” Cavendish says “is always but desirous for change…but what do they get by the change? …a hungier dog who bites nearer to the bone. Out goes the man grown fat with honour, and in comes a hungry and a lean man.” Hilary Mandel Wolf Hall, 2009
I think that Simon Busuttil’s warning that we’ll go gas down into a wall if the PL wins the elections, is going to be true.
Here it comes, little by little slithering into public life, that what Labour Party represents:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130405/local/arriva.464320
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130405/local/pm-defends-bencini-appointment.464313
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130405/local/freeport-plans-to-expand.464308
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130405/local/deficit.464307
and much, much more.
Labour’s miracle. Queues disappear from Mater Dei even before the new cabinet was sworn in:
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Il-kjuwijiet+fl-Ispi%26%23380%3Berija+tal-isptar+%22jisparixxu+mal-elezzjoni%22&t=a&aid=99846032&cid=19
This is a depiction of how the labour government intends to attack our deficit.
http://i.snag.gy/IX5Vo.jpg
Kevin Drake is knocking on Muscat’s door: “Hey, I’ve been helpful too!!”
http://www.inewsmalta.com/dart/20130405-ghawdxin-tassew-west
I’m already tired of saying “I told you so” . I can’t stop saying it wherever I go.
Veru li l-ministru ta’ Ghawdex dahhal lil mara tieghu fil-ministeru?
[Daphne – Iva. Michelina Refalo.]
Macchiavellianism at its worst.
Conspicuously fucking silent……..
Unbelievable. They are doing this now as it is early in the legislature – the people will forget all this in five years time.
And I think you’re absolutely right.
So much has been said about arrogance of the past, u l-iggranfar mas-siggu tal-poter etc.
These past three weeks I feel I’ve been watching a dangerous game of chess being played by only one player who’s indulging a growing passion for moving, appointing, replacing, manipulating the pieces, oblivious of his opponent or any strategic rules.