Bernard Grech has called for nurses and teachers to be given a salary raise in one of his first national policy proposals since he decided to contest for PN leader.

“COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to appreciate things we often take for granted, including our front-liners,” Grech said during a discussion about the pandemic at the Fosos last night.

“Some economic sectors, like gaming, offer high salaries, but there are other vital workers, such as nurses, to name one of them. Perhaps we didn’t appreciate their work enough before and their salaries don’t respect how important their work is to society.”

“If we truly want a fair and forward-looking society, we must respect these needs. The same applies for teachers; they’re so important but unfortunately we dont give them the necessary attention, and even there, we must recognise the importance of their salaries.”

“COVID-19 has given us an opportunity to appreciate these sectors.”

Grech also argued that the pandemic has given Malta the opportunity to move away from an economy driven by consumption, an argument the man he hopes to succeed as PN leader, Adrian Delia, has been pushing for years.

“It’s like investors keeping a mixed portfolio of currencies in case the value of one of them drops,” he argued. “If we base everything on consumption, then the bath will dry up as soon as the tap closes.”