Third-country nationals (TCNs) are treated as commodities by “criminals” who bring people to Malta only to “spit them out” on the street, a temping agency boss has said.
“We have now spent the best part of seven years treating mainly TCNs as commodities; this is a shame; it is horrible what we’ve done,” Daniel Coppini, managing partner of Recruit in Malta, said.
“We’ve sent back thousands of people to their country with heavy loans bearing heavy interest rates and, basically, dishonoured by their family,” he added.
Coppini was speaking in front of stakeholders in the catering industry, two ministers, Identitá CEO Mark Mallia and ITS CEO Pierre Fenech.
He said that his company treats workers fairly, offering all the employment benefits required by law. Between 30 and 40 people walk into their company daily to ask for jobs, he said.
“The reason is all these criminals who brought these poor people have begun to, excuse the word, spit them out onto the road,” he told a conference.
He said the situation of TCN workers in Malta will eventually level out, with enough workers but no surplus. “But we must remember that we sent them back home hungry and that will always be a stain,” Coppini said.
Times of Malta has written how TCNs pay thousands of euros to move to and work in Malta only to find that the job they were promised does not exist.
The temping agency boss welcomed a new law regulating temping agencies, saying it will significantly change the scenario.
He added that Identitá has undergone “huge changes” through a new portal, which is more efficient.
Between 30 and 40 people walk into Recruit in Malta daily to ask for jobs
New rules for temping agencies
In November, the government announced new laws that will regulate temping agencies in Malta. The new legislation, effective from April, lays down that any individuals or agencies engaging temporary workers will need to first obtain a licence issued by the authorities before being allowed to operate. These agencies will need to meet a series of criteria and pass due-diligence vetting before being granted a licence.
Anyone caught operating without a licence will face a fine of up to €30,000, and other contraventions can result in a fine of between €5,000 and €7,000.
Agencies that have their licence revoked or not renewed will be named and shamed. They will also be blocked to prevent them from applying for government contracts.
The new law comes as TCN workers in the tourism sector must be in possession of skills cards as of next year. The plan, now open to consultation, is to then make skills cards mandatory for Maltese and EU workers in the hospitality sector by 2025.
Coppini was among a series of speakers at an information session on the new requirement for caterers. The event was organised by the Association of Catering Establishments.
Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, Social Dialogue Junior Minister Andy Ellul, Mallia and Fenech also spoke at the event. The ACE session was held on the same day when the Gozo Tourism Association released a survey on the new skills card.
This found that two-thirds of Gozitan restauranteurs and hoteliers are not prepared to pay the €575 fee for their employees’ skills card.
It also found that even though 63 per cent of respondents agreed that TCNs should obtain a skills card before being employed in tourism, 54 per cent felt that introducing the card would hinder their operations.