The fact that many migrants are employed at conditions that verge on modern-day slavery has been an open secret for a while. In today’s economics-driven world, anyone in a vulnerable position is often considered fair game and, sadly, few are in a more vulnerable position than migrants and asylum-seekers.

With many of them lacking official papers and status, and no other means to lift themselves out of the vicious circle life dealt them, it is easy to see how they can become prey to unscrupulous employers.

And it’s not only bona fide businesses and companies that are to blame, either. The idea to employ migrants for risible wages was picked up very fast by individuals needing a spot of work around the house.

Hence, the daily mass of open centre residents congregating by the Marsa roundabout practically before dawn, each one of them hoping to land a job for the day.

There have also been some horror stories about employers reneging even on the miserable amount promised because, let’s face it, the particular circumstances mean that redress is unlikely.

Given this context, the recent declaration by the Employment and Training Corporation that fines for those employing unregistered workers – of which migrants form a substantial percentage – will increase from €58 to €500, with the potential of reaching €2,000 if contested, sounds like a positive development.

Only, things are rarely that black and white.

The sentiment behind ETC chairman Clyde Caruana’s statement that the new fines seek to create a level playing field between foreign and Maltese workersis laudable.

However, on their own, such fines will not achieve much. They may well prove to be a good deterrent – prevention is, after all, always better than cure – also because they hit where it matters most to such greedy employers, big or small. However, one must tread very carefully because there could be repercussions vis-a-vis well-meaning employers who would genuinely like to play fair.

Therefore, it is the basic employment infrastructure that needs to be adapted to cater to new realities we are facing. This should be done sooner rather than later.

Mr Caruana’s announcement was soon followed by a statement from the Malta Employers’ Association to the effect that the system in place for hiring third country nationals ‘on the books’, as it were, is “too bureaucratic and was hindering employers”.

Now, of course, nobody would dare suggest that cumbersome bureaucracy is an excuse for taking advantage of employees. However, the message the employers would like to convey is clear: hefty fines and excessive bureaucracy for those who want to regularise their positions are likely to deter employers from offering jobs to migrants. Which is hardly the sort of result that one would wish for.

The above clearly indicates that employment regulations are in need of an overhaul and that simply upping existing fines is nowhere near enough even if they may be a deterrent, which is a good thing in itself.

The proposal of a new law, dubbed the Jobsplus Act, to update legislation in place related to unemployment is certainly a step in the right direction. Having said that, it would be wrong to lose sight of the fact that a solution tailor-made to cater for the needs of third country nationals who are living in Malta is equally necessary.

Discouraging employers from offering jobs to migrants and other foreigners only serves to compound the problem. Let us hope that the law being proposed does not skirt around this issue.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.