The Malta Employers’ Association is preparing a Service Charter to encourage ethical employment practices in the cleaning, security and care working sectors. Companies operating in these sectors will be encouraged to become voluntary signatories to the Charter, committing themselves to align their operations and strategies in a manner that respects the legal obligations of employment legislation in Malta, and to respect ethical principles in their role as employers.

The association believes this will distinguish between responsible employers and others who allegedly offer substandard working conditions, and manage to gain an unfair competitive advantage over companies who abide by the law. The association is calling on the government to support this initiative by assigning a preferential weighting to signatories to the Charter in its tendering process. This will encourage many companies in these sectors to offer good conditions of employment to their employees, and reduce instances of abusive work practices.

The MEA is planning to set up an independent board to administer the Charter and to handle any allegations of breaches of its provisions. Companies in breach of the Charter will risk being blacklisted in both the public and private sector, the MEA said.