These are festive days, but they (the government) compel you to criticise them.
Following a recent decision of the Cabinet, which approved a proposal by the Minister of Labour, the National Minimum Wage has been readjusted with the dawn of 2024. In essence, we are talking about a €9 increase upon hiring and €48 after the first six months of employment!
Indeed, you read it correctly! The minimum wage upon hiring (net) has been increased from €788 to €797 as of January 1, marking a €9 raise. Additionally, after six months of service, the net wage rises to €885 from the previous €837, indicating a €48 increase.
It’s a shame to mock the people. With €9 in today’s world, you can’t even buy 2 litres of olive oil, 1 kilogram of halloumi, or 1 kilogram of feta. With €9, you can barely afford six loaves of bread. Even the €48 increase in six months is not a substantial raise. A rally in food and energy prices has preceded this decision.
Decisions like these, along with the zero VAT on coffee and sugar or the Ministry of Energy’s recommendations for frugal use of air conditioning during heatwaves, show that government members are far removed from the struggles of the people.
They indicate that people in positions of power have never had to budget their income to make ends meet. They show a lack of responsiveness to the real challenges conveyed by institutions that have a genuine understanding of the situation.
For example, the President of the Pan-Cypriot Coordinating Council of Volunteering (PCCCV) Elias Demetriou, recently told Phileleftheros that we are experiencing the worst year of the decade (since the start of the campaign “Adopt a Family for Christmas”). He stated that “people are not making ends meet,” with approximately 5,000 families seeking assistance, double the number compared to previous years. This year, people are in a worse situation than during the 2013 financial haircut and the pandemic lockdown.
Due to increased needs, he said, the campaign was extended twice. “Things are tougher this year. Unfortunately, it gets worse every year,” said Mr Demetriou, adding that “there is a noticeable increase in appeals for help and the people’s need for goods.”
This year, 80 organisations supported around 3,200 families, and volunteer bodies assisted around 1,700 families. “In other years, families ranged around 2,000. This year, we are almost at 5,000. It’s the first time it has risen so high.”
He emphasised that, in most cases, it’s not unemployed citizens seeking help but low-wage earners. “They receive €700, €900, €1,000 in salary. People can’t make ends meet. They can’t cover rent, electricity, phone bills. Some have loan instalments, small children. What will these people pay first?” he wondered.
As Mr Demetriou highlights, poverty is right next to us. There are homes with nothing in the fridge or even without a mattress to sleep on. “A man declined an invitation to a Christmas meal, and after much pressure, he admitted he didn’t have a second pair of pants, apart from the worn-out one he was wearing.”
This is the real picture, gentlemen of the ministries and the Presidency. That destitution, poverty, and insecurity prevail. That you govern Jean Valjeans.
