I well understand and indeed support the citizens of Marsa who, for far too long, have tolerated the intended and unintended consequences of confining ‘irregular’ migrants into this one spot. Efforts to better integrate the migrant community have been lacklustre.

Malta lacks a body of people who are both fit and able to work on construction projects and it makes little sense to marginalise a human resource as these migrants have been. We all know of unscrupulous people who visit Marsa to ‘recruit’ workers from the queues that wait there. Totally unregulated, these people often work for 10 or more hours a day, often for less than €20 at a time. It must stop.

Before we even consider importing cheap migrant labour from Eastern Europe, we should engage the human resources we already have. That means making developers employ existing available labour at a minimum plus wage. These people can learn trades like plastering, plumbing, carpentry and metal work. Maybe trade unions can take the lead in this regard.

No one is entitled to perpetual State handouts, simply because one cannot be trained to do an honest day’s work. The State as well as the construction and catering industries should agree on suitable apprenticeship programmes. Unskilled people can then be trained to do the jobs Maltese people cannot or will not do.

An agreement can be struck with the irregular immigrants obliging them to learn and earn. Thus, they may better support themselves and contribute to the economy.

Should a developer or a migrant balk from this, then they should get no funding. Handouts are degrading and lead to horrid incidents of lawlessness.

Upskilling the immigrant community (dare I suggest teaching them reading and writing in both Maltese and English) will soon benefit the economy and relieve honest taxpayers of an unnecessary burden.

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