Watch: Alex Borg Pledges To Donate His Salary Increase To Charity
Opposition Leader Alex Borg announced he will donate his €1,700 annual salary increase to charity.
Borg had already pledged to reject the raise, which formed part of a renegotiated collective agreement for the civil service, but he confirmed on Xtra last night that he will donate it to charity.
The PN leader said that while he is in favour of the collective agreement per se, he doesn’t believe that politicians should increase their salaries while regular people are still struggling with the cost of living.
“Top-tier politicians were given a raise of €1,500 a year, while regular people were given a COLA adjustment of €4.66 a week (€242 a year) and pensioners were given an extra €5, because the €10 announced in the Budget incorporates the COLA,” he said.
“Are we top-tier politicians feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living more than regular people?”
“I know this raise formed part of a wider collective agreement and I’m not going to attack the civil service, unlike Robert Abela who accused them of working cushy jobs. However, this collective agreement shouldn’t be used to give the Prime Minister and his friends a raise while regular people are given €4.66 and pensioners an extra €5.”
Borg clarified that while he is in favour of increasing politicians’ salaries in principle, such a reform should be deprioritised until “people are living more comfortable lives”.
Cover photo: Alex Borg