News • December 14 2003

‘Exaggerated 56K salary’ revelation shatters Louis Grech’s socialist credentials

Louis Grech, Labour’s promising Euro parliamentary candidate received a salary of Lm56,000 when he served as Air Malta Chairman according to the Minister for Investments & IT, Austin Gatt who revealed that the new Air Malta Chairman Lawrence Zammit only had a remuneration of Lm7,000. In six years as Chairman Louis Grech may have received a combined salary of not less than Lm300,000, it is not known how much of that salary was untaxed.
Louis Grech also had two drivers and his ground handling staff earned as much in overtime as in salary. Under Louis Grech, Air Malta subcontracted photography services even though it employed three full time photographers. A cleaner at Air Malta earned Lm5,600, as much as a teacher in government service.
Mr Grech who appointed by Dr Alfred Sant was retained by former Nationalist Minister Profs Josef Bonnici, Mr Grech who won a 70% approval from the Labour party conference will be standing as a candidate for the European elections. He will be facing an uphill battle in painting himself as the ‘Laburist’ of your choice.
His wage which stood at 12 times the yearly salary of the average wage and four times more than that of the Prime Minister’s will contribute little in getting him closer to the Labour core vote or the angry and defiant middle class.
Dr Austin Gatt however failed to refer to the appointment of a Swiss born Chief Executive at Air Malta who is reputed to earn not less than Lm100,000 a year and has contributed little in terms of strategic planning to Air Malta. Dr Gatt has also announced that director’s fees at Air Malta are being cut by Lm116,000.
Dr Gatt’s no nonsense revelation of numbers and salaries was presented in parliament on Thursday night and gave the general impression that what has happened in many of the parastatal companies had nothing to do with his government but with the machination of another political administration. It confirms if anything the Nationalist government’s failure to bring about reform and control spending in its 17 years of governance.
Indeed though no names in other parastatal companies were mentioned the fact that so much over spending and high salaries were allowed to spiral reconfirms the crass incompetence at the former Ministry of Economic Services headed by Josef Bonnici. It also points to the general absence of any collective responsibility in the cabinet of ministers where Austin Gatt was a prominent member.
Dr Gatt’s speech failed to make the headlines in most newspapers apart from one daily. Not even the In-Nazzjon the Nationalist party organ failed to pick up the significance of Dr Gatt’s speech preferring Ponsietta’s and Kanzunetta Indipendenza on the front page.
To add to Prof Bonnici’s never ending curriculum vitae underlining his general lack of ministerial skills, Dr Gatt cites EneMalta bill of Lm44 million that still needs to be collected from clients.
The gravy train did not end here, Gozo Channel had a bill of Lm11,000 on mobiles and Lm35,000 on cars.
Dr Gatt of course failed to mention that the Chairman appointed to run Gozo Channel and the many directors appointed to the board of many Parastatal company then and now were and are political appointees with unadulterated connections to the Nationalist party.