Jobsplus officials raided three courier and cab fleet companies as the government agency investigates claims of employee abuse.
WT Global, Ferrugia Fleet and Mela Cleaning, which employ cab drivers and food delivery couriers, got the unannounced visits in recent days, sources close to the operation said. The officials were looking for pay slips, work contracts and any documentary evidence that may point to illegal labour practices.
The raids followed a meeting Jobsplus held with third-country national couriers who took industrial action over exploitative working conditions earlier this month. “The names of those three companies featured heavily in that meeting,” one source said.
Times of Malta reached out to all three for comment. Only Ferrugia replied.
“We gave all the requested documents when Jobsplus came to our offices. We are willing to cooperate with the authorities because we have nothing to hide,” the company’s owner, Fabrizio Ferrugia, said.
WT Global, Ferrugia and Mela are among the companies that have recently been shunned by Jobsplus.
Employment and Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said in parliament earlier this month that companies accused of exploiting food couriers will be barred from hiring workers until investigations into the claims are carried out.
Following the statement, it was revealed that hundreds of TCNs applying to work as cab drivers and food app couriers are having their work permit applications refused in what government sources described as part of a crackdown on abusive employers.
I was shocked. I did nothing wrong but, still, I was being told to leave the country- TCN in Malta who had applied to work as a cab driver
The home affairs ministry said on Friday that cab driving and food courier work permits were being turned down because the market had “reached saturation”. Applications were being rejected for people abroad seeking a job here as well as those already in Malta who needed to change their employer. Workers renewing their permit with the same employer would not be affected, they said.
Most third-country nationals who live in Malta need a work permit to reside in the country because they come from non-EU countries. That permit, which must usually be renewed every year, is directly tied to an employer.
In the last two weeks, 409 work permit applications in the courier and ride-hailing industry were refused, sources told Times of Malta. Over half of them were change-of-employer applications that originated from Malta and the consisted of applications coming from abroad. Of the 235 refused change-of-employer applications, 116 refusals originated from WT Global.
WT Global employs hundreds of workers. The company has Malta’s largest cab fleet, with over 300 vehicles registered. It is also known to have a large number of motorcycles operating on food delivery apps.
Several workers who had applied at Identitá to change their employer reported receiving their work permit refusals from the agency responsible for issuing work permits in recent days. The refusal letters included a warning that, unless they have alternative authorisation to stay in Malta legally, they may be violating the Immigration Act.
The letters shocked many TCNs who have been through logistical nightmares to get a job in Malta. “I was shocked. I did nothing wrong but, still, I was being told to leave the country,” said one man who had applied to work as a cab driver.
Government sources said change-of-employer applications at these companies needed to be refused to avoid “abuse”. “Had we left that option open, we risked that the fleets could use another company to bring workers to Malta and then change their registered employer once here.”
Still, the government, via Jobsplus, is willing to find alternative employment for those caught in the crossfire, sources said, emphasising that deporting such workers is not the government’s intention.
In an opinion piece published on Sunday, Camillieri condemned employers who neglect workers’ rights, saying the government was conducting thorough investigations into the working conditions of food delivery couriers. He said the government would not tolerate exploitation.