Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1133773
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 JUNE 2019 INTERVIEW At last Saturday's protest march, there was a minute's silence for the seventh victim of fatal accidents on construction sites in the last year and a half. Do you see a correlation between the safety issues concerning residents, and the evident exploitation of (mostly foreign) workers on construction sites? Exploitation takes different forms. It's not just workers on construction sites: residents of areas targeted by development are also being exploited. The places where they live are being taken over, and their lives are being made hell. That, too, is a form of exploitation. But when it comes to workers, exploita- tion is going on big-time, and not just in the construction sec- tor. There is illegal exploitation – in the sense of people being employed illegally, underpaid, or not paid at all; and often threatened by their employers. But there is also legal exploita- tion. The laws regulating em- ployment conditions, salaries, etc., are so inadequate, that they leave plenty of room for abuse. This is not an issue that affects only foreign workers… Maltese workers are exploited, too… though in the case of for- eigners, the situation is usually much, much worse… Can you give an indication of the extent of the problem, from your own experiences with the people concerned? I have a lot of friends and contacts within the local Af- rican migrant communities, some of whom I have known for years. And they all say that they are systematically threat- ened by employers all the time. Sometimes, even their lives are threatened. The level of exploi- tation here is rampant. And the more these people are mar- ginalised, even through public discourse, the more this ex- ploitation will increase. Their societal power is constantly diminishing, leaving them with no recourse to any action in such cases. They live in fear; in a state if systematic abuse… 'Systematic abuse' suggests that it is the system itself (and not individual employers) that is exploiting those workers. How so, exactly? Let me put it this way: when Prime Minister Muscat recent- ly said that 'he didn't want to see Maltese workers collecting garbage'… a lot of people took that to be a 'slip of the tongue'. But I didn't see it as a slip at all: I saw it as a reflection of his government's economic policy. Clyde Caruana, of Jobs Plus, has been saying the same thing for years: there is a specific, very deliberate policy to import foreigners so that they can be legally exploited. And the gov- ernment, the relevant authori- ties, etc., all accept this, as if it's perfectly OK. But it's not OK: it is highly dangerous to create that sort of segregation in the job market. That the authori- ties permit Maltese employers to exploit those workers is, to me, deeply shocking… Yet Malta is an EU member state, which also implies cer- tain standards across the board: including employment condi- tions. Is it possible that no form of institutional protection ex- ists for this category of worker? Some form of protection might exist on paper, but in practice, the authorities are do- ing absolutely nothing about the issue at all. And that's where it counts: these things have to be resisted pro-actively. You can't wait for an employee to file a report against his em- ployer, in a situation where em- ployees are so vulnerable. Espe- cially foreign workers who are employed illegally: they have a guillotine over their heads. They could be deported if they dare to complain. And they shouldn't have to, because it is the authorities' job to moni- tor the situation. They have to go to the worksite; conduct inspections; and offer protec- tion where there is none. This is simply not happening… Yet several authorities exist for that very purpose: the ETA, the OHSA, etc. Are they all just nominal authorities, with no real power at all? The situation varies from au- thority to authority: it is not the same in all cases. But I don't think the problem arises from the people who work within those institutions; it arises from the general framework. And this ties in with the situ- ation that has now developed, with buildings collapsing, and residents left homeless. The in- terest of businessmen who are trying to 'make a buck' always comes first: in this case, it came before the authorities' capabil- ity to regulate the industry, and to ensure that the regulations are respected. We have allowed the economy to keep growing and growing disproportionate- ly – and I don't think everyone is feeling the benefits; but let's leave that aside, for now. The point is, we have seen the economy grow exponentially, but at the same time there are no structures in place to see that things are being done properly: i.e., that the rights of workers are respected, that the concerns of residents are ad- dressed; that the permits issued are properly assessed and adju- dicated. All those things come about only as an afterthought… if they even come about at all. The only important thing, from government's side, was to for- mulate all the policies so that a few big businessmen can make a lot of money. Everything else: including all the checks and balances to safeguard the rest of Malta's interests… those were never a concern at all. But while Moviment Graffitti champions residents in affected areas, it clearly does not speak on behalf of society as a whole. There doesn't seem to be a groundswell of discontent at the situation, despite the fact that it arguably affects everyone across the board. Do you see this as a contradiction? The contradiction exists, it would be useless to deny it. People do not live in a vacuum: they are born into a system; a society which promotes certain values and ideas. For instance, the illusion many people have, that they can become rich very quickly… that is now very wide- spread. And it is an illusion: the reality is that the vast majority will not get rich at all, let alone quickly. But the belief that it is possible… that has become part of the 'aspirational Malta' we are living in today. Malta has become an im- mensely aspirational place; it is reflected everywhere in popular discourse. Everything is target- A recent court ruling to overturn a permit for a 37-storey tower in Pembroke has been hailed as a major triumph for Moviment Graffitti, and other NGOs which campaign against overdevelopment. But Graffitti activist ANDRE CALLUS warns that nothing will truly change, unless people seize the opportunity to change things A small victory for the environment… PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES BIANCHI Raphael Vassallo Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt