A government that listens and acts

Owen Bonnici (Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.)

The Malta Labour Migration Policy has been well received by employers, stakeholders, and the public at large. It is the result of a government that not only listens to peoples' concerns but acts. 

Let's call a spade by its name. The large number of third country nationals (TCNs) working in Malta has become a cause of concern for many. I am not referring to the few whose concerns are driven by xenophobic sentiments. I have no intention of entertaining those views.

However, peoples', the Maltese, to be exact, concerns are that the influx of TCNs in recent years has created huge logistical problems for all, namely overcrowding; traffic congestions; a huge strain on the country's infrastructure; language issues and a dip in the working conditions of employees in certain sectors of the economy.

Public surveys have been placing the issue of TCNs working in Malta as a top concern. It was time for the government to address the situation, and through the Malta Labour Migration Policy, it shall be doing so responsibly.

Make no mistake, human dignity shall top all other aspects and changes to be made. Workers' rights, whoever they are and wherever they come from, is at the heart of the Labour Party. They have always been. That is what we stand for.

Prior to 2013, the economy was in a mess - and that is to put it mildly. The Nationalist Party had been in government for 25 years, save for a brief two years of a Labour government. It grew tired. After Malta joined the EU, the PN administrations lost the way. They had absolutely no vision on how to diversify and strengthen Malta's economy.

Foreign direct investment plummeted. Local businesses were averse in investing further, unemployment was on the rise, and people had less money in their pockets. 

In 2013, the people of Malta voted overwhelmingly for change, and the Joseph Muscat administration embarked on a progressive agenda to ensure that the much-needed changes, economic and social, took place without further delay. 

In no time, the economy boomed. Tourism flourished. The construction industry, long dead under a PN administration, roared back. The catering industry, which included restaurants, bars, and places of accommodation, experienced a huge increase in business. The demand for new services, including delivery of food and other services, increased exponentially. 

This sudden change in Malta's economic fortunes required a strong injection of human resources. But there were challenges. The Maltese, now having at their disposal new industries that offered a better work-life balance, no longer wanted to work in industries that a few years back they were heavily involved in: Construction; Catering; Transport; Sales; Health and other sectors. This meant that Malta had no other option but to look beyond its shores. 

At first hundreds, then thousands of TCNs were brought to Malta to, in not so many words, do the jobs that the Maltese refused to do but which were key if our economy was to continue growing. 

There was a time when the Maltese worked for foreigners. That situation has been deeply reversed. 

The ever-increasing number of TCNs in Malta meant that these people needed a place to live, which in turn made the construction industry flourish and new apartments went up. 

This economic boom continued and strengthened when Prime Minister Robert Abela convincingly won the 2022 general elections. Today, Malta has the fastest growing economy in the Eurozone, and employment is at an all-time high. 

But the influx of TCNs gave rise to abuse, which started to have an impact on TCNs themselves and on the Maltese and Gozitans alike. 

News stories started to emerge of foreign workers living in cramped conditions; of companies abusing of the system and bringing over to Malta workers that were not really needed; of new companies, within the transport and food delivery service, being set up and offering terrible working conditions to their employees; of low skilled workers brought to Malta, under the premise of doing a particular job, and then they end up doing a totally different job for which they had no skills whatsoever. 

It was time for the government to step in. It did, and it shall continue to do so. 

Temping agencies were regulated. Those who had no intention of observing the law had their shutters pulled down. 

The transport and delivery of services sectors were heavily regulated, as should be, and hundreds of Y Plates were taken off the road. 

Those employers that were not following the equal-work-for-equal-pay principle shall now be unable to continue doing so. 

Employers can no longer pay their employees in cash, but through bank transfer - this being a much-needed decision to stem abuse. 

Employers that have a high employee's turnover rate will have a hard time, if not an impossible task, of getting new employees from abroad. Those who have a low employee's turnover rate and follow the laws and regulations assiduously and give their employees the rights that they deserve will have nothing to fear. 

The government, through my friend and colleague Minister Byron Camilleri, and of course Prime Minister Robert Abela, are leading a wide process of consultation across Malta and Gozo, with all relevant stakeholders - employers; employees and the public at large to explain the changes that the government has in mind and to take on board suggestions that will help to address the issue of TCNs and labour migration in Malta. 

I am confident that over a few years, this issue shall be solved successfully. In the meantime, our economy shall continue to grow, more wealth shall be generated, and more jobs shall be created. However, this shall be done with one aim in mind: a better quality of life for all. That is the government's target, and together we shall achieve that.