A government hospital care worker employed by a private contractor was “advised” to find another job when she became pregnant, according to Labour health spokesman Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.

The employee was told by the company she did not have maternity rights and was advised to look for another job, Dr Coleiro Preca said.

Giving a breakdown of what she described as abusive and illegal behaviour, Dr Coleiro Preca said privately employed care workers had conditions of work and pay that were different from those of their counterparts employed by the government even though they did the same job.

“This is legalised slavery with the government’s blessing,” she said, adding that when attempts were made for the workers to join a union, the people involved were dismissed.

The government did not refute the claims but in a statement insisted abuse was not tolerated and action was being taken to monitor the conditions of work offered to employees of contractors engaged by the public sector.

The company, Support Services Ltd, was engaged by the government to supply care workers at Mater Dei, St Vincent de Paul and Karin Grech hospitals.

The Times yesterday contacted one of the directors, who directed this newspaper to his father, another director. However, the call was never returned.

Addressing a news conference at the Labour headquarters, Dr Coleiro Preca quoted from an e-mail she received from one of the workers employed by the company, which said that care workers were paid €3.80 an hour.

Some employees, she added, were also paid for only 10 hours even though they would have worked for 12. Employees were also not entitled to sick leave.

She said a care worker at Mater Dei was paid €691 for 131 hours of work and this amount included a bonus and two Sundays, which were paid at the rate of €7.45 an hour.

These care workers carried out similar work to social assistants employed directly by the government and were expected to do the job of nursing aides whenever there was a shortage.

Dr Coleiro Preca challenged the Health Minister to do something about the situation so as not to protect the people perpetrating the abuse.

It was doubtful, she said, that the government did not know about the abuse as claimed in Parliament this week by Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said.

She also called on the Industrial and Employment Relations Department to be proactive and not wait for reports from workers to take action.

During the same press conference, Labour MP Michael Farrugia referred to the issue of Pakistani nurses employed with the government through the employment agency Chrism Services Ltd.

These nurses had signed contracts with the agency which stipulated that the agency fee, which ran into thousands of euros, had to be deducted from their pay.

Dr Farrugia referred to the Health Ministry’s denial that it had any link with the agency and insisted that at one point, either the nurses or Chrism must have approached the Health Department.

Health Minister Joe Cassar had been asked specifically about this issue in July last year and in a reply given in September he said no arrangements for payment had been made with any agency.

The minister had also said that the foreign nurses were engaged directly, with the government being their sole employer.

If the minister had misguided Parliament with his reply at the time, Dr Farrugia said, he should resign.

In its statement the government said the 47 Pakistani nurses had contracts with the health department and any other contract with an agency was irrelevant to their employment.

“No agency or third party has the power to terminate their employment,” government said.

It added that the Industrial and Employment Relations Department had conducted 1,696 inspections at various work places and interviewed 3,598 workers to monitor work conditions.

The government said inspections were being carried out to verify whether workers used by contractors were employed or engaged on a self-employed basis, which exonerated employers from certain obligations.

Cases of abuse can be reported to the Industrial and Employment Relations Department on 2122 4245 or by e-mail on indemprelations@gov.mt.