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Matthew Vella
Action is to be taken against 36 organisations which employed foreign workers without a work permit, but none of these companies are set to be blacklisted from government tenders.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Employment and Education said the Employment and Training Corporation had not advised the ministry to blacklist any employers according to its 2005 guidelines, which state that firms employing non-EU workers illegally would be blocked from receiving any government contracts for three years.
“Details about these organisations cannot be given,” the spokesperson said.
The ETC will be taking action against 36 organisations which employed 63 foreign workers illegally between January to April 2006. A total of 892 workers were found in illegal employment during the same period.
The majority, 35, were working in construction. Another 16 were employed in catering. The foreign workers mainly hailed from Libya, Eritrea, Bulgaria, Ukraine and China, and also England.
But sweeping reforms in the employment of foreign nationals from third countries last year had promised harsher penalties for employers who employ foreign workers without a permit, including their blacklisting on the government contract list for three years.
The Commissioner of Police is expected to take steps against the employers upon report by the ETC.
But in the case of those employing Maltese workers illegally, they will be charged an administrative fine of Lm25 and told to register their workers with the ETC.
In November 2005, months after the blacklist policy came into force, building contractor Zaren Vassallo was found guilty of not having notified the ETC of the employment of foreign workers, but was liberated on the condition that he does not commit another offence in six months.
The new policy was never enforced, because according to the ministry for employment, the incident he was accused of had happened before the policy was announced.
The ministry said the incident involving Vassallo, 53, a major developer on the island, happened on 20 June before the policy was announced. “The new policies therefore do not apply to this case,” a spokesperson said.
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
Links: www.maltatoday.com.mt/2005/07/03/t14.html
www.maltatoday.com.mt/2005/12/04/t15.html
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