The migrant worker allegedly dumped on the road by his boss after being seriously injured on a construction site has spoken of his hope to walk again unaided and become a resident of Malta.

Jaiteh Lamin spoke to Times of Malta almost exactly a month after the incident that sparked widespread outrage when images and video showed him lying in distress on Selmun Road.

Since then, his employer, Glen Farrugia, has been charged with grievous bodily harm and breaches of occupational health and safety and employment laws.

Meanwhile, the Gambian father-of-two must wear a back brace to support his injured spine, can only walk with the aide of a crutch and needs help with everyday activities such as showering.

"For now I am focusing on my health condition, so I can get better, so I can stand up again and walk," he said. "I cannot walk without this stick so it's not easy."

He is undergoing regular physiotherapy and a hospital appointment later in November will assess the extent of his back injury. 

But he is already planning for his future, and wants to apply for a residency in Malta so that he can provide for his struggling family in Gambia.

The permit would regularise his position and allow him to work, have access to healthcare and offer him peace of mind. This would also allow him to obtain travel documents so that he can leave the country to visit his family  - who he has not seen in two years.

Jaiteh Lamin being treated on the side of the road where he alleges his boss abandoned him. Photo: Caroline Galea

“My youngest son, Mohammed turns two in November. He only ever saw me through a screen… When he sees my back brace he asks me what it is… He does not understand but my eight-year-old, Ibrahim, knows what happened to me and asks me how I am all the time,” says Lamin.

Lamin suffered serious injuries when he fell two storeys from a building site in Mellieħa on September 28. Speaking to Times of Malta from hospital the day after the incident, Lamin claimed his employer told him he would take him to hospital, but instead abandoned him on the road and told him to tell police he was hit by a car. 

He repeated this while testifying in the court case against his employer, who denies all charges.

After spending three weeks at Mater Dei Hospital, Lamin was discharged and is now back at his Mosta apartment, which he shares with two friends. 

In his testimony Lamin has explained that he was granted refugee status in Italy but, as he struggled to find a job there, he travelled to Malta to work to provide for his family. His Italian status gives him the right to travel to another EU country for up to three months but not to work there legally. 

Jaiteh Lamin spent three weeks in Mater Dei after falling two storeys from a construction site. Photo: Caroline Galea

But Lamin explains that, as with so many migrants like him, he had no choice but to work. His mother is diabetic and his wife, Mafanta, cannot work as she cares for his mother and their two sons.

“No father wants to work so far from his family for many years. In Africa we all know what is going on. I have been a lot of years in Europe to try to make a better life for them and for myself. I have not seen them for two years. If I get the residence permit I can go and visit them at least,” he says.

He goes on to thank all those who are supporting him through a fundraiser that is supporting him and his family. “When I was in hospital I was crying  - not only because of the pain and suffering - but because of how I was going to help my children back home. Maltese people are helping me so much. I’m very grateful to all,” he said.

A tailor by profession

Now Lamin dreams of being independent and self sufficient and perhaps working in his real trade - as a tailor. Owning a sewing machine would be a first step together with having a residence permit. But he is aware that getting these permits is not easy - and this is one of the reasons why migrants like him end up working illegally and getting abused. This is an issue that has been raised by NGOs.

Lamin is also concerned about the state of the construction industry, in which he got injured.

“What I’ve seen on construction sites is awful. Something has to be done. I’m not just talking about immigrants working on sites but even Maltese and other European workers. After my accident there were another three and one lost his life. When I heard of the Bulgarian man who died I was very upset,” he said referring to the accident that occurred on October 16 when a 50-year-old construction worker died after falling three storeys at a building site in Ħamrun.

Glen Farrugia, right, has been charged with grievous bodily harm. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Earlier this week the Occupational Health and Safety Authority said inspectors carried out 3,724 inspections so far this year, stopping activity in 478 of them. The authority said a majority of shortcomings at workplaces involved construction sites, but infringements were also found at printing presses and factories, among others.

The Maltese and migrant community is holding a peaceful protest entitled “There is no 'us' and 'them'. There is only us.” This will be supporting the demand strategies that the migrant community presented to the Home Affairs ministry in their protest earlier this month. The protest is being held on Saturday, October 30.

He hopes some good will come from his experience.

"We are all human beings. We have to love each other and help each other to solve our problems, not to hurt each other, which doesn't make any sense to me," he said.