Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1529458
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 NOVEMBER 2024 4 INTERVIEW Angele Deguara: 'Social benefits should not make up for bad work conditions' WORKERS in Malta deserve better conditions and the country's current economic model does little to address these shortcomings, Angele Deguara believes. The veteran Moviment Graffitti ac- tivist and sociology lecturer sits down with me to discuss government's eco- nomic policy, the need to improve workers' rights and conditions, and how she believes authorities are en- abling the exploitation of foreign la- bour. "We don't agree with social wel- fare compensating for the bad con- ditions of workers. A quality budget distributes wealth in a fairer way not through welfare," she says in reaction to Budget 2025. Deguara says that while it is positive to lower taxes for low-income work- ers, the wealthy should not be enjoy- ing the same benefits. "It's good that you lower taxes for the less wealthy, but were those who earn much more, taxed more? No. How just is distribution of wealth in this country? Did government intro- duce any measures targeting the su- per wealthy? No, it didn't," she says. The activist also discusses the NGO's campaign, launched earlier this year, called Justice For Work- ers. Organisations are asking for a substantial increase in salaries at the lower end of the income scale, and for a betterment in all workers' con- ditions through mandatory measures in order to achieve a balance between personal life and work. Asked why organisations feel the need for such a campaign, she says Malta's neo-liberal economy priori- tises growth "over anything else". "The economy is growing just for the sake of growing, but who is real- ly benefitting from this growth?" she asks. "It's backfiring on its architects." Deguara also speaks on the ex- ploitation of third-country nationals (TCNs), saying they are subject to massive exploitation by their employ- ers. Veteran Moviment Graffitti activist and sociology lecturer Angele Deguara sits down with Karl Azzopardi to discuss workers' rights, the need for a new economic model and how third-country nationals are being exploited. Yes, we do have growth, but it does not mean we have a strong economy. A strong economy means it is a sustainable and resilient economy which is enjoyed by the people not just those who only seek to make profits.