A Turkish construction company has insisted its staff enjoy decent living and working conditions and that it is fully compliant with Malta’s laws and regulations, claiming that reports to the contrary were "inaccurate".
TACA Construction, the international building services company, was replying to reports that hundreds of Turkish construction workers flown to Malta recently to work on massive construction projects.
The company was one of a number of international construction firms that bid for a tender on the redevelopment of the Fortina Hotel in Sliema and the DB Group’s City Centre project on the former ITS site in St Julian’s.
The Sunday Times of Malta had revealed plans by TACA to import some 2,500 Turkish workers over the coming months. Discussions were held with the government’s employment agency, Jobsplus, to ‘fast-track’ the required permits.
"We have a long-standing international reputation in the construction sector and are law-abiding citizens in each and every country where we are present. We are guests in Malta and we are following all the rules and will be paying tax as a Maltese entity,” company spokesman Deha Türkel said.
The company, which has eight offices around the world and specialises in the construction of super structures, has so far brought over 78 of its workers to Malta. They earn an average monthly salary of €1,450 and are provided with private healthcare insurance, flight tickets, free accommodation and three meals a day, the company said.
The 114-metre-tall World Botanic Expo in Antalya, Turkey, that was built in less than 11 months.“Our employees, who have been with us for years, will be coming and going according to the needs of the projects we have been contracted to undertake. Their visa prevents them from bringing over their families and they have no intention of staying in Malta.
“All our workers’ paperwork is in order and above board. They are skilled individuals with international expertise,” Mr Türkel said.
TACA Construction has also dropped its plans to set up a temporary village in Mqabba – even though its workers prefer to live together as a community as they have done in other countries – and will instead be housing its employees in apartments.
Mr Türkel said TACA Construction had sub-contracted Maltese contractors for equipment and machinery and is purchasing most of the construction supplies locally, thereby creating new economic opportunities for local industry.
“We bring a lot of expertise to the market through our extensive experience of large projects in other countries and we honestly cannot understand why we are being singled out for such attacks when we have done nothing wrong.”
Questions sent by Times of Malta to TACA Construction have remained unanswered.
Malta’s human rights NGOs were among those who said they “deeply concerned” by plans for the importation of Turkish nationals to work on a number of major construction projects.