Just a “few” fleet operators that provide food couriers to platforms like Bolt are breaking the law and abuse is not systemic, according to junior minister Andy Ellul.
Ellul said that a probe into the sector by the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) is ongoing but that preliminary indications suggest most operators are law-abiding.
“From the information I get from the DIER, the problem is not systematic; it is just a few who are not obeying the law,” he told Times of Malta.
The probe was ordered after hundreds of couriers went on strike, saying they were working 18-hour days earning just €3 an hour.
Ellul said the DIER has already approached two of the industry’s biggest operators, asking for information including payments, payslips, and work contracts.
“That’s where an investigation needs to begin; it has to be evidence-based,” the parliamentary secretary for social dialogue said.
The DIER has also reached out to couriers to provide information about their issues, he said.
“Where there are shortcomings, we will discuss them with all parties and reach out-of-court settlements. However, where abuses or persistent shortcomings occur, we will take the necessary steps,” Ellul said.
A year-and-a-half ago, the government introduced a wage regulation order to regulate the courier sector.
Where abuses or persistent shortcomings occur, we will take the necessary steps
That legal document clarified that digital platform couriers were entitled to at least a minimum wage, double pay on rest days, and statutory benefits like sick and vacation leave.
Couriers, however, say the legislation is generally ignored by their employers.
Ellul also highlighted new laws regulating temping agencies, which make it a crime to charge people for jobs in Malta. Agents who know that workers paid money to work in Malta will lose their licences, he said.
Despite that, he acknowledged having heard of cases where foreign workers say they pay money to work in Malta.
“That is shocking and disgusting,” he said.
The junior minister was keen to highlight the success of government efforts to force employers to pay their workers.
The government recouped €1.4 million from employers in 2023 after claims by employees of non-payment, he said.
He said that the money, resulting from 1,200 investigations by the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER), was then passed on to workers affected by their employers’ shortcomings.
Additionally, 200 employers were taken to court, Ellul said.
In 2022, the DIER managed to recoup around €932,000 from employers, the department’s annual report shows.