This is totally unacceptable
A request like this says so much about the people who make it. You don’t ask employees to give up their salary unless you are also giving up yours.
Simon Busuttil, decently, has done the right thing is not taking any part of the party leader’s salary to which he is entitled. Chris Said, too, is not taking a salary as secretary-general.
Yet even this is not sufficient. Most party officials can give up the whole of their salary because they have income from other sources, including their professional practice. Busuttil would not have been able to refuse his leader’s salary if that were not the case. For one thing, he has a family to support and a home to run.
Yet that is not the case with the party employees, for whom their salary constitutes their entire income. It is grossly unfair to ask them to give up two months of that salary, even if by choice, and even if the promise is made that they can collect when things are better. They have done enough already and that is not how you reward loyalty. That is certainly not how you build loyalty.
It is astonishing how differently people see things according to where they’re coming from. The first thing that occurred to me – and incidentally, the people I was with at the time the subject came up a few months ago – is that Nationalist MPs should give up three or four months of their parliamentary honoraria towards a fund to pay the party employees what they are owed.
All MPs have other sources of income. That is the correct way to do it. That is proper leadership and that is the way to build loyalty. That, in fact, is the decent and proper thing to do.
Solidarity should be shown from the top down, not the bottom up. Beyond that, it is absolutely disgusting to ask wage-dependent, salary-dependent employees to give up even a month of their salary, even by choice, when so many of those at the top end of the party hierarchy, and on the Opposition benches in parliament, can well afford to contribute towards a fund to pay those salaries.
Asking the employees to make the financial sacrifice themselves is particularly ill-advised when the assets and income of members of parliament are published.
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You are right. I was rather disappointed that PN MPs did not automatically say they will forfeit part of THEIR honoraria so that the PN can pay the employees.
Lead by example and not expect the employees to make such a sacrifice. As you say, and I totally agree, this suggestion should not have been made in the first place.
The Nationalist Party should be loyal and fair to its employees first and foremost.
I agree with you.
It’s a dire situation, the one we are in….many are increasingly failing to identify with the Nationalist Party, and yet there is no other option. What does one do? Oh for the real “golden years” (from the early 90s through to the noughties, in case you were wondering).
Forfeiture of salaries and wages amounts to a cheap loan. Employees are being asked to carry a risk for which authorised lenders ordinarily expect guarantees or collateral.
The request is unfair because it places employees in a do or die situation. Why should they be lumped with that responsibility?
This is absolutely appalling. So first they allow the party finances to go to ruin, then they ask for employees to give up their pay.
The way the PN is acting is a menace to democracy itself.
The government menaces democracy one way; the opposition another way.
Never has an opposition been so weak, void of ideas, and lackey towards the government as it is today.
The government doesn’t know how to govern and the opposition doesn’t know how to oppose.
If Busuttil is not up to the task, then he should go back doing a good job in Brussels which does not necessarily mean he can do a good job as opposition leader.
There seems to be something that’s been clouding the Nationalist Party’s judgement since March.
It’s not just the massive electoral defeat. It’s as if they’re scared shitless. By someone or something.
Brown envelopes again?
The party has closed up on itself, and you can’t build trust, membership, and especially voter support unless you project frankness and openness.
It can’t just be the financial woes. There must be something else.
Perhaps, Simon Busuttil is not as good a leader as he portrayed himself to be in the run up to the elections for party leadership.
One needs courage, vision and motivation to do as Daphne suggests. There are some prime examples of such in industry – the CEO of Japan Airlines is one of them.
The main dilemma for the PN is about the way forward.
Its economic and financial policies gave the country five good years, yet the electorate dumped them for this incompetent lot.
Should the PN propose the same policies or pander to the contemporary trend for self-promotion?
Politics isn’t about “proposals”. That’s a very Maltese word which has got into everyone’s vocab and which set my teeth on edge.
The PN has to spell out its political position. If it is unsure of its position, then it shouldn’t be doing poltics at all.
That, in a nutshell, is its problem. Twenty years of AZAD and tnediji and roadmaps and gassing on by “Father Peter” and it has come to this.
Ah, but to have a political position, you need to get your head out from the arsepit of domestic politics every so often and look at the world around you. Simon Busuttil, as an ex-MEP, is in an ideal position to shake things up in this respect.
It’s shell-shocked, Baxxter.
The PN need to get their act together, and fast. Too many wrong decisions being made.
PROSIT
I agree with you. These people do not think before opening their mouth and insulting their faithful employees.
Cancel the Independence Day festivities and use the money to pay those salaries.
Exactly.
Prioritising people is the way to go. You don’t do that by getting your employees to pay for someone else’s party, in both senses of the word.
Brilliant idea.
Merits and otherwise of Chris Said and Simon Busuttil aside (I think they’re both not leader material), perhaps Beppe Fenech Adami could be given a better role and more prominence.
The justification given when I had mentioned this preference prior to Simon Busuttil’s election as party leader was: “but Simon comes with a team of 7 staff.”
So what? The strategy can happen as a team, the leader needs more spunk and appeal.
Labour have more than amply shown that brains can be bought.
I got a glimpse of his entourage last Sunday. He’s surrounded.
I saw him perhaps less surrounded and there were opportune moments in which a direct message could have been communicated (“the team” ‘does’ the web interventions, leaving a very personal and inviting touch), and I said to myself: “why bother.”
Everything about him says “diminutive.” I can’t for the life of me imagine that his reception of concepts or ideas changes mode.
Perception counts.
Beppe Fenech Adami would have been the ideal party leader and even Mario Demarco (of whom I am not a fan at all) would be doing a better job than Simon Busuttil.
For sure!
I was shocked when I heard it on the news. How can the party leadership even think of putting the employees in such a position?
Don’t they care that these poor souls may have huge financial commitments, settling of which depends solely on their monthly salary?
Why not use the honoraria to pay the employees and give them an incentive to forego salary today for an increased sum (say +20%) later?
I have been a paid-up PN member since the 1950s. Every year, faithfully snd willingly, I contribute towards the party’s finances.
I suppose that like me there are thousands who do the same. Where has all this money gone?
Asking employees to sacrifice even a bit of their salaries, is, I think, rubbing salt in sore wounds.
I agree. This is insulting to the same employees and their families. If I received such a request, I honestly will forfeit not my salary but my membership to the party. In fact, I’m considering it as this is not the party I love. However I still have hope.
You are the party.
Daphne, you need to look into this in light of the PM’s family business:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130904/local/fireworks-associations-lawyer-headys-policy-revision.484767
Local media is banging about – quite rightly – Falzon’s conflict of interest in view of the fact that he is the association’s lawyer. However, it once again fails to notice that there is someone else – much higher above – who is interested in having a biased Revision Board.
Very wrong decision indeed. I am sure most of these employees have commitments to meet such as loans and coping with everyday life expenses. The MPs should give up their honoraria as that is a part-time income for them.
I think the party needs to come clean about how much its finances are in the red, and why this has happened.
Some cashed in on the party and the millions of donations given throughout the years for sure – the public needs to know. Only then will the PN would have hit the bottom, and start resurfacing to become a much-needed contender to govern.
What demolished the party’s finances is the big white elephant built instead of the old Stamperija. The party didn’t afford it and shouldn’t have built it.
You’re absolutely right about MPs being the ones who should give up their salaries.
The fact that anybody could ask their employees to do this says something.
Apart from the obvious abuse inherent in such a request, it shows a lack of understanding. Nobody with an understanding of the normal cash-flow problems experienced by people on an average wage, and the potentially dire problems that can result from the absence of that wage (e.g. loans don’t get paid, kids don’t get new shoes) would ever think to ask this.
The assumption is that people have other means e.g. savings, other income, because that’s the people at the top have.
It’s like when a silly rich bitch suggests to a struggling student that she should switch to make up. No understanding or concept of how someone else might live. Well done PN, for showing, again, how far removed from reality you have become.
Sorry, that should have been *insert expensive designer brand* make up.
Why not forfeit part of their parliamentary honoraria?
The PN MPs gained their seats in Parliament thanks in no small part to the efforts of the employees manning the Stamperija.
A small fraction of their honoraria would more than cover the two months salaries owing to those employees.
And in other news, the operator becomes the regulator.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130904/local/fireworks-associations-lawyer-headys-policy-revision.484767
L-awqa li naqtghu il-burokrazija b’25%.
Kind of like this bicca qamel……
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130904/local/minister-borrows-his-chief-of-staffs-car.484789
Unless it’s a bullshit excuse.
I just don’t get it. Why all the fuss?
I myself once opted to give up a whole three month period salary instead of being sacked.
Job security only exists within the civil service with the “Issa Daqsekk” backing them up.
The private sector is a whole different universe. Yes it’s true it looks awful but the scope of a business organization is not entirely philanthropic.
Political parties are not business organizations.
Although not part of the Party structure, the Nationalist Party owns a number of companies including a media company, Media.Link Communications.
This company runs NET Television and Radio 101, newspapers in Maltese (In-Nazzjon and Il-Mument), a media library and the online news portal Maltarightnow.
The main goals for the existence of these companies are propaganda and to raise funds for the party.
In the UK, the bosses give the workers gifts at xmas.
Here, the workers have a collection to buy the bosses a gift.
Big cultural difference.
So you noticed it too.
Absolutely unacceptable. The PN MPs should forego their parliamentary honoraria (I am sure they have other income they can rely on to survive) for the months in question and use these funds to pay the PN employees – the only decent thing to do.
Is the PN leadership (if there is one) for real?
Why not get some of the members AND ex members of parliament to pay the arrears of the salaries. After all a significant part of their success is due to those same employees who they are now asking to renounce their salaries.
And yes I also had and still have loan payments to honour. It turned out that it wasn’t the end of the world after all. I had a three month moratorium granted by the bank.
Yes, such dire situations should never occur to anyone but as I said sometimes one has to face difficult decisions of being sacked or losing wages – in the private sector I mean.
[Daphne – You are wrong. Nobody is ever asked to give up their wages in the private sector. Late payment, yes – forfeiting them altogether, no. It’s against the law, hence the qualifier ‘voluntary’.]
You’re definitely right but I would have preferred sacrificing a three month salary and not get sacked. I’m sure they will be remunerated with interest later on one way or another.
[Daphne – Oh of course, with interest.]
Daphne, not exactly, a four day week is giving up the fifth day pay whilst still working. And factories, also in Malta, are famous for doing this.
[Daphne – I’m afraid you’re wrong there. On the four-day week system designed to avoid redundancies, employees work four days instead of five, precisely so that they may be paid for four days instead of five, cutting the wage bill. Then the ‘day off work’ rota is organised among staff so that all bases are covered throughout the week. If the Maltese definition of the four-day week is working five days and being paid for four, this is abusive and one has to ask where their unions are. I imagine their employers call it ‘voluntary’ – except that it isn’t, is it.]
Unfortunately, it seems that those who were sceptical about the qualities of the new persons in the leadership posts of the Nationalist Party are being at the moment proven right in their judgement.
No one who contested the leadership seemed to have the right qualities to be the leader in this particular time. The Nationalist Party needed someone who could take to task a Labour Party who had just won its greatest victory in its history and on the other hand a Nationalist Party that had just succumbed to its greatest defeat from its inception.
Simon Busuttil, who portrays an image of a very nice, next door man can never be identified as someone who Nationalists, (still reeling from a severe KO), can find solace and comfort knowing that they have a leader who transpires strength of character, charisma and fearless attitude.
No wonder that Dr Jason Azzopardi while lacking natural leadership traits is being seen as the only one who can and is defending the Nationalist Party.
Dr Demarco and Dr Fenech Adami although having some good qualities will be always be compared and therefore found wanting, against their fathers even more so when one considers that in their death great leaders, and even not so great, will acquire legendary qualities.
Dr Said, politically, has acquired a good reputation albeit a superficial one. While obtaining good results in every post he had, he has done this at a cost since he left a big financial burden on those who came after him be it the MZPN (Gozo), Gozo Football Association, Nadur Local Council.
Maybe this proves why such ridiculous propositions as the forfeiting of the workers’ salary are being made. While being very good at getting results when the money is available, he could be at a loss when the going is what it is in the finances of the party.
I hope that these people will prove me wrong as six months have gone from the Labour’s victory and for many it has been six months too much let alone and God forbid another victory in four and a half years from now or worse still and I cringe at the idea, another victory in 2023.
Why didn’t the PN ask some of the many companies who prospered during the PN government to contribute two months’ salary for at least ONE Stamperija employee? U mela iddur fuq il-ħaddiem?
[Daphne – Because those companies are too busy spending their money on the Labour Party. Maltese companies, like Maltese individuals, don’t donate in gratitude but in the expectation of future benefit.]
That is unacceptable, I agree. And what about the party sending letters door to door asking for a direct debit mandate to have funds taken from your account on a monthly basis in favour of the party. Come on.
[Daphne – Absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s entirely legitimate and it’s the way to do it. It’s pointless moaning and then refusing, as you are here, to put your money where your mouth is.]
Not only PN MPs, but what about the dozens of ex MPs forfeiting part of their obscene gold-plated pensions?
And what about… you know what I mean.
The story headline now reads postpone rather than forfeit
At present, my company is undergoing many difficulties – mainly due to the fact that tender contracts which were carried out and completed before election date have not yet been paid.
We are facing financial difficulty like never before and of course are in a perilous state.
But never have I asked my employees to forfeit any wages. The directors and I have not taken our salary for a while now, but it would never cross our minds to shift such a weight on our employees.
Unfortunately not only has the PN taken a sabbatical of sorts, but it seems it is determined to break down the structure, shutting down the machine that could possibly one day get them back in government.
With the way the PL are running the country and the PN’s attitude, I think the time may have come to call it a day and move away from Malta, if not for the sole reason of getting away from the distasteful and offensive antics of the present government, then at least to get away from this lose/lose situation.
Top notch argument – as usual. Yes, PN MPs should lead by example. Short of that, what the PN is doing is weak – and bordering on illegality (if not downright illegal).
The Nationalists in government made wrong decisions that resulted in a considerable defeat. The Nationalists in opposition seem to be continuing to make further wrong decisions.
[Daphne – Bollocks to that and let’s speak plainly. The worst decisions were not made by the PN government, but by electors in the polling-booth. I know that one is supposed to be politically correct and say that the electorate, like the customer, is always right. But the fact is that we have been landed with this hill of crap not because the PN government took the wrong decisions, but because so many brain-dead, idiotic, frivolous and half-witted people I know did. Am I surprised? No. None of them were ever particularly bright and their defining characteristic was their goat-like propensity to follow the herd and to panic when not part of the herd.]
I am not simply talking about the party not being critical of the government. Perhaps, one understands the strategy that there is no point in attacking your adversary when you have an open wound. Better, to heal your wound first.
The people who are making decisions are not essentially the best people anymore.
Perhaps upon further reflection one comes to think that there is a brain drain from Maltese politics all together.
The core party liners seem to look at the glorious past for answers, and think another Eddie Fenech Adami will save them. This decision comes straight out of that page, when Eddie and Guido asked our parents to lend the party money so that they could build the village kazini.
What worked then is not what will work now, which brings me back to asking whether the party anthropologists are getting the clear picture.
I genuinely believe that the Nationalist Party represents the better qualities of the Maltese nation, but the people that need to inspire our future are not essentially in the core of the party yet. They still need to be sourced.
[Daphne – I agree with you about that. The main problem with the Nationalist Party’s thinking and public image is that it became, slowly but surely over the last 10 years or so, resolutely and determinedly lower-middle-class, with the catastrophic result that your typical tal-pepe (or tal-pepe wannabe) voter fled. I’d been saying this for years, largely because I am in that category and know exactly what the mindset is, but it was Joseph Muscat’s advisers who picked up my message, and not the PN’s. This is precisely the segment they targetted so effectively and successfully, which is why so many ‘tal-pepe’ people I know voted Labour this time. I must be some kind of freak though, because I couldn’t identify less with that barrel of crummy bollocks they call a political party. God, those people are awful, the pits. Poseur hamalli tal-flus, the worst.]
Let us hope that is now on top of Simon Busuttil’s agenda.
It started with Gonzi and his infuriatingly homely discourse, as if he were permanently addressing a kindergarten class. It wasn’t just a vote-catching measure to attract the lower classes, because even when engaging with the intellectuals, decision-makers and professionals, he never once matched his words accordingly.
If I didn’t know better, between the crock of evil shit that’s Labour and the hand-wringing kindergarten assistants that are the PN, I’d have stayed away from the polls altogether. So I voted out of sheer necessity, against Labour, as always.
I’m not holding out much hope with Simon Busuttil as leader. As soon as he hit Malta, he dumbed down his thoughts, words and actions. Hell, if they don’t want my vote then they can bloody well not have it.
Perfectly said.
The law demands that these employees are paid their salaries the more so if the employing body is solvent. There are ways of finding a solution if there is no liquidity.
What is most worrying about this story is the inability of the PN leadership to foresee a communications disaster.
They make this absurd offer to all their staff and they don’t anticipate that somebody will immediately leak it. Hence no attempt is made to anticipate the news or cushioning it whatsoever.
For God’s sake, this is a political party we are talking about, an opposition political party which has to get across its criticism of the government and in due course will have to convince people that it has the best policies for Malta.
Truly unbelievable – the new lot appear to be cut from the same cloth as their predecessors. The lawyers at PN HQ should always beware of bean-counters’ advice and vet it thoroughly.
These guys are still totally detached from reality in the streets – no doubt this came from the same genius who thought of the pay rise to ministers (not that the rise was bad, but the way it was handled was truly a mother of all goofs).
If the honourable MPs are so reluctant to pay up, they should give a loan to the PN, which will then pay the workers and get repaid in time.
I’m sorry but the PN is not getting anywhere near Castille in the next 15 years at this rate.
All members of the party and persons of good will should be asked to contribute towards the settlement of the salary arrears.
It doesn’t just have to be the MPs. I’m sure that if a collection is well organised people will contribute willingly.
Alternatively, instead of asking the employees to accept a moratorium on unpaid salaries, a scheme could be organised whereby volunteers loan the party the equivalent of half a salary or so, on an unsecured and interest free basis, for say a period of one year.
It seems that there might be a mistake or confusion on this issue, since you stated that the ‘P.N. is asking employees to forfeit their salaries for two months’, whilst the Times heading states that ‘PN asking employees to postpone receipt of two months’ salary’.
[Daphne – Michael, the picture with this post is a screen-shot of the headline on timesofmalta.com this morning. The same headline is on the front page of the print edition. If the timesofmalta.com headline is now saying something else, that’s because they changed it. They are unable, however, to change the print version.]
If the times heading is/was as you stated I would agree with you that this represents an irresponsible request by the P.N. However if the P.N. is asking its employees to ‘postpone’ their salaries/wages for 2 months, which means that these will be paid at a later date, I can assure you that such requests have been made in the past even in private industry to save employment.
I want to add that one hopes that the P.N management should ensure that such drastic measure will apply also to all staff, including those in managerial positions.
This looks like the second weird idea coming from Ray Bugeja who has been entrusted with re-organizing the PN finances.
The first was the spectacularly hare-brained proposal to invite shopkeepers to enrol in a discount scheme that would publicly brand their business as part of the PN revenue-raising initiative.
These last months I truly cannot identify myself with the PN anymore. The party which I always voted for and with conviction has changed beyond recognition.
This was unavoidable and, shall I say, quite natural after 25 years in government.
Being at the helm for so long will attract friends, but over time you will inevitably lose popularity.
This was heavily felt by the PN media, with viewership and readership at an all-time low. The net effect is that you will lose all the juicy advertising deals which started to shift towards Super One & Co.
The lack of die-hard loyalists hurt PN’s revenues as well.
I am referring to loyalists which only Labour is capable of retaining, because of the typical socio-economic profile: people who buy Labour-leaning newspapers every day and who keep their television tuned to Super One.
The PN was kept going by donations from businessmen looking for favours, but these also started running dry ever since opinion polls as early as 6 months before the election starting indicating a strong Labour victory.
This gave the 4th floor at Mile End an ample budget for the election.
They spent millions on billboards and PN deserters in order to make up for a hollow electoral manifest.
No matter how much Labour messed up during the campaign, the opinion polls never really changed more than 1%.
The 8-week long campaign did not help either. Labour’s marketing budget did not let up right till the very end, and this inevitably forced PN to overspend… and it showed.
PN tried to take some short cuts by coming up with drastic billboards which were meant to be more effective than usual, but the public perceived it as a desperate, last-minute attempt.
So it’s useless trying to pin point blame of this situation. Chris Said’s request is probably an 11th hour attempt to save the party.
During the election campaign, many of those who are now MPs donated money to clubs and similar. They can do the same to support their employees.
The PN seems to have been totally perplexed for quite some time now – too scared to step on toes when it needs to do so, but lacking grace, sound thinking and foresight when it actually does.
For weeks, if not months, decisions taken about wages or salaries owed were often communicated to employees (both part-time and full-time), at the wrong time, and subsequently countermanded or ‘dressed up’. Get a grip boys, it ain’t pretty, but Daphne is right.
Xoghol prekarju.
Jien ghaddejt minn dan it-tip ta’ trattament minn pampalun Nazzjonalist ghal-giehna. Fittixtu bil-qorti u kif gie msejjah biex jidher il-qorti hallasni kollox.
Qabblu kelli galantom iehor li kien kuntent ihallas l-ammont dovut lil avukat Nazzjonalist li jikteb f’gazzetta bl-Ingliz u li kien xeba’ jithallas l-eluf f’konsulenzi, milli jaghtihom lili.
Xorta haddtlu nofshom bil-qorti, u n-nofs l-iehor gew b’mod iehor.
Ghalhekk kif qrajt dak ir-rapport (mhux minn Ivan Camilleri) ma nhsadx ghax dawn l-affarijiet nistennihom minghand il-politici taz-zewg nahat. Tiftakru meta tas-Super One ma kienux jithallsu l-paga kollha u kixifhom Joe Saliba?
L-ewwel ma jahsbu huwa ghal-buthom u ghal dak is-siggu. Min-nies li jaqilghu il-paga il-vot taghhom iridu, xejn iktar.
Il-papa tieghek, Daphne, ghandu n-negozju u milli ktibt tidhru li thossu ghal-haddiema. Prosit.
Suggeriment lil Chris Said, kieku tmur dawra ghand min ha eluf ta’ ewro f’konsulenzi u titlob hamsa fil-mija tax-xoghol li hadu fi zmien il-PN kieku il-pagi ghal-sena tista’ tqishom imhallsin.
MPs giving their honoraria to the Party would be a decent thing to do. It might not go very far towards contributing to staff’s salary, but the idea of sharing the burden would be tangible.
Utterly disgraceful. Frankly, the new leadership of the PN could not have handled this worse.
MPs and especially shadow ministers should definitely cough up.
Busuttil and De Marco are superficial and self-interested people.
The same goes for those close to them. Fenech Adami and Said might offer a bit more in the long-term, but I’m not holding my breath.
Appalling – looks like the the imbecilic consultants around them are still giving them the wrong advice.
You are so right.
Under another post ‘Sufa’ wrote that some of Kenneth Zammit Tabona’s watercolours hang at the PN headquarters. Maybe they should start by selling those for whatever they would fetch, even though it’s hardly going to be the turnaround solution because the market for those things has bottomed out.
Without the hard work and sacrifices of its employees most of the PN media machine would have ceased to operate at least six months ago.
Salaries, wages disappeared, and so did any form of thanks, gratitude or solidarity.
I agree with those who commented here that all present and former PN MPs should show their solidarity by donating part of their honoraria/MP’s pension to create a special fund for this purpose.
L-ezempju ikaxkar.
Prosit , prosit, prosit for your article.
The proverbial straw on the camel’s back now is that there is money available for the Independence Day festivities but not to pay the salaries of the party employees.
The people have mortages and household bills to honour, for God’s sake, and schools start within a few weeks.
[Daphne – Those are pressing considerations but they are also legally irrelevant. They are due their wages regardless of how many, or how few, bills they have to pay. And yes, I agree with you re Independence Day. They should lead by example and say that they are not holding the celebrations because they are using the money for a prior consideration: paying their staff. They should be astute enough to understand that nobody will give them money unless they put their priorities in order. You can’t ask people for donations when you’re throwing a large party but then not paying your people.]