The exploitation of irregular immigrants could be controlled by setting up a unit within the Employment and Training Corporation to help them find fair jobs, General Workers’ Union general secretary Tony Zarb has proposed.
Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella welcomed the union’s idea, saying it would ensure migrants, often desperate for work, were not abused.
“I feel sorry when I see people being exploited,” Mr Vella said, during a meeting with GWU representatives held at his ministry in Valletta.
I feel sorry when I see people being exploited
African immigrants, especially, are often seen waiting by the side of the road hoping an employer would stop to offer them a job. This uncontrolled working practice has often led to migrants being underpaid or even not paid at all.
Ahmed Bughri, director of the open centre in Marsa, had said some asylum seekers lived in such desperate conditions that they were forced to take up any work to survive. To break their monotonous daily routine, some even begged employers to work for free for a day, in the hope their work would be appreciated and they would be offered a paid job.
Dr Vella yesterday said that the Labour Government would work harder to ensure other EU countries “put their money where their mouth is” and showed solidarity by taking on migrants who landed in Malta.
As he discussed a range of subjects with the union, Mr Zarb mentioned the “extra bureaucracy” that foreign workers faced if they wanted a visa.
Dr Vella said he planned to set up a unit to better understand what was causing the bottleneck in the granting of visas.
Since he took over the role as Foreign Affairs Minister, he said, the problems with visas “stood out” with people of various nationalities, such as Libyans and Russians, complaining.
He stressed that one could not draw a line when it came to the granting of visas, since each case had to be decided on its own merit.
Speaking about foreign workers in general, Dr Vella said it was important to have “the right mix” and to ensure Malta did not reach a situation where the indigenous population faced unemployment.
Dr Vella added that there would be an audit of Malta’s embassies to ensure that money was being spent efficiently and that Malta was present in the right places.