Minimum wage increase and other pre-budget proposals by UHM

Oct 21 2022

The Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin (UHM) has just launched a set of proposals ahead of the 2023 Budget, with a focus on raising minimum wage and ensuring that fuel and energy prices don’t increase.

Union chief executive Joseph Vella stated in a press conference that a long-term vision for Malta’s economy is needed.

He compared Malta’s local wages, saying that they are too low when compared to the most developed EU countries. Pointing to youths finding new opportunities abroad, he said that they should become the centre of the new economic model.

Amongst the proposals included:

Free-riders (people who enjoy collective bargaining without being members in a union) shouldn’t be allowed to do so.

Income from all overtime should be taxed at 15%, and not the first €10,000 only as workers need more money in their hands.

Government should guarantee that fuel and energy prices do not rise. Compensation should be given immediately when electricity, water or fuel prices increase and not wait for the 2023 COLA increase.

Government should immediately stop its agreement with Steward Healthcare as this would save the country hundreds of millions annually.

Minimum wage in Malta should increase to 50% of the gross average wage over a period of years. The current minimum wage does not meet the minimum requirements in the EU’s Adequate Minimum Wage Directive.

Employment contract system should be fully digitised by January of 2027, employment contract which is not registered would be illegal, an increase in minimum sick leave days (10 to 15) and double pay should be given to everyone on Sundays.

Full proposals can be seen here.

Remember Miniclip? Online servers have officially shutdown

Oct 21 2022

Miniclip was an online goldmine of internet games – recall the likes of 8 Ball Pool and Save the Sheriff as just two of the thousands of gems on the site.

A website many of us sneakily accessed during IT classes, that nostalgia may have been lost forever as Miniclip online servers have officially been shut down.

This means that almost all of their games have become no longer playable from now on. While the company itself isn’t dying out, the site attracting millions of users may no longer have any games for people to enjoy.

If you go to the website as of yet, the only browser games available are 8 Ball Pool and Agar.io, with everything else practically having disappeared.

The move was carried out earlier this year, but many did not notice this until only recently. And it’s no temporary anomaly as Miniclip have announced that they have no plans on bringing back other games online.

They will be largely selling mobile games from here on out, saying that since the launch of their mobile games department in 2010, they’d see more of their users pick up apps of their most popular games to play on their phone.

Following the brief heart attack that was Cartoon Netwrork, this one seems to be a real loss of a big part of our nostalgic core memories. RIP Miniclip.

#MaltaDaily

Cats on the Menu: Cat Gourmet Butcher page causes uproar on local social media

Oct 21 2022

Local social media was taken by storm after a Facebook page titled ‘Cat Gourmet Butcher’ was launched, sparking many to flood the page’s posts with comments condemning the act of killing cats for meat.

The page introduced the business as a ‘small family-run business, specialising in feline meat. All our produce is currently grown in Poland an France but we are planning to start a local organic farm in Malta in the very near future.’

This did not go down well for many Maltese as the page continued to post – showing off big knives set to be used for butchering the cats as well as promoting their kitten into veal menu option.

However, given the local context, the page could be pure satire. Despite some commenters taking it completely serious, others seem to be in on some joke.

‘Is it enough 1 kitten’ one asked. ‘I usually eat half an adult rabbit.’ Another simply stated: ‘I hope this is a f***ing joke.’ Others were utterly baffled by how the government and the health authorities approved their business.

Others were full on into the ironic comments: ‘Finally, some alternative the usual boring cow, pig and chicken flesh! Can i ask, are they organic? And will kitten flesh be available anytime soon! Absolutely love me some cat bacon.’

Speaking to MaltaDaily, Katerina Younes, the vegan activist and member of Animal Liberation Malta group behind the page, stated that:

There’s a huge hypocrisy around how we treat animals of different species. We wanted to make people realise that the way they felt about these cats is exactly the way vegans feel about any other animals who are being bred and slaughtered solely for people’s taste buds.

We received a massive response, especially from people who identified themselves as animal lovers, who were upset and devastated, including violent threats.

Why do we give certain animals names, take them home with us, love them and cry when they get sick and die, but then stick a number on the ears of other animals and treat them as commodities?

Animals are equal and deserve to be treated equally, the only difference is your perception.

#MaltaDaily

People are losing their minds realising what ‘ASOS’ actually stands for

Oct 21 2022

People are only just now realising what the name of fashion retailer ASOS actually stands for – and no it’s not just an assortment of letters made to sound nice.

Like other words such as GIF or laser (you might want to look those up), ASOS is an acronym based on its original name which was condensed to make it catchier.

And people are only now coming to the realisation via an online trend as is typical of internet culture. It turns out ASOS actually stands for ‘as seen on screen’ [insert mind-blown emoji here].

The fashion brand launched in 2000 and was called As Seen on Screen as the name suggests you could buy versions of clothes which appeared on your favourite TV series, films or commercials.

The brand used to pair with major celebrities and offer up styles worn by these recognisable faces. This would urge people to buy clothes directly from ASOS, having seen their favourite icon donning whatever it may be.

When it expanded its retail, the brand decided that the name would no longer communicate their goals efficiently. Luckily the name could be squashed into a handy and catchy title. So now you know, and you can be ‘that’ person dropping trivia at the party.

#MaltaDaily