Talk to the pensioners out there and many of them will tell you that they are not making ends meet on their pensions.

While the price of services and commodities has gone up and salaries have increased, pensions have stayed the same. Therefore, the discrepancy between high earners and those with a low pension is increasing. This is the problem.

If things continue in this vein, there will be more than 22,000 older people at risk of poverty.

A source who spoke to this portal explained that there is a measure that can be used to assess who is at risk of poverty. Unfortunately, however, this measure is not being used appropriately. A person, whoever they may be, cannot be earning less than 60% of the average income. Things are changing, but not drastically. Increasing a person’s income by €1 or €2 is a joke! “So Government can afford to pay salaries amounting to €30,000; €40,000; €60,000 or even €120,000 per year, but is not able to provide good pensions … this is the overriding problem today”, said the source who spoke to Voice of the Workers.

There is another issue created by the reform. We know that pensions increase every year. The reform states that people born up to 31 December 1961 receive only two thirds of the cost of living adjustment. However, people born after that date will also be receiving an additional sum to cover the rate of inflation which means that they will be receiving better rates than other elderly people.

The reform has created quite a few loose ends. There are other issues that need to be identified and analysed as it is useless boasting about how much wealth is being created and what progress the country is making when our elderly are suffering injustice.

Statistics show that although poverty has decreased among certain categories of people, it has increased among the elderly. According to our source. “this is the truth and no one can negate it because the figures have been published by the Government itself.”

Another elderly person who spoke with Voice of the Workers explained that he has a service pension and this has never been increased. “This is the same pension I had 20 years ago, it has remained the same to this day,” this pensioner said.

In the meantime, Government put on hold the Act that would grant Members of Parliament a pension after they have served only one legislature. This ensued after the Nationalist Party withdrew its support of the Act on Monday evening. Earlier on, the Prime Minister justified this decision and insisted that the measure was being implemented to correct an anomaly.

“It would be better if the Prime Minister explained this anomaly and feels obliged to strengthen the pensions received by all elderly people”, said the elderly person who spoke to Voice of the Workers, adding, “there is money for the members of parliament it seems, but none for us.”

As in the case of the members of the Judiciary, it seems that pensioners’ groups have no objection for Members of Parliament receiving a full pension. “Government needs to take care of our welfare, not at the cost of us having to make do with the crumbs off the table!” said our source.

UĦM Voice of the Workers stresses that Government should first take heed of the elderly’s plight in order for them to receive an adequate and just pension.