Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514242
4 NEWS 4 MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt MATTHEW AGIUS magius@mediatoday.com.mt maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 JANUARY 2024 Republic of Malta To the Marshall of the Court By means of a decree given by this Court, on the 2nd November 2023, following a request of O.A. Investments Limited it was ordered that deputy curators be chosen to represent the respondent company Feriana Estates Limited, in the records of the Sworn Application 680/2023TA, in the names O.A. Investments Limited vs Feriana Estates Limited and in the other relative and subsequent acts. By means of a Sworn Application, filed in the First Hall Civil Court, in the names O.A. Investments Limited (C-9270) vs deputy curators to represent the company Feriana Estates Limited (C-217), on the 28th June 2023 the applicant O.A. Investments Limited requested with respect this Honourable Court to: 1. Decide according to the demands without proceeding to trial in terms of Article 167 et sequitur of Chapter 12 of the Laws of Malta; 2. Condemn the respondent company to pay the plaintiff company the sum of €97,995.04 representing arrears of groundrent and subgroundrent due as above mentioned. With costs and legal interest till the date of effective payment against the respondent company, summoned so that a reference to its evidence be made. The case in the names O.A. Investments Limited vs Feriana Estates Limited Application number 680/2023TA is put off to the 9th January 2024 at 9.30a.m. Applicants – O.A. Investments Limited, Blue Harbour Drake Residence, Apt D, Ta; Xbiex Seafront, Taʼ Xbiex. Notification: Deputy curators – Law Courts You are therefore ordered to affix an official copy of these banns at the entrance of this Superior Court and to summon whosoever wishes to act as curator to appear before this registry within six days and by means of a minute to submit a declaration that he wishes so to act. You are also ordered to inform each one that if he fails to make this declaration within the stipulated time, the Court will proceed to the selection of Curators of Office. And after so acting or if you should encounter any difficulty in the execution of these banns, you are to inform forthwith this Court. Given by the Civil Court First Hall, above mentioned, with the witness of the Hon. Mr Justice Toni Abela, LL.D. , Doctor of Laws. Today 2nd November 2023 Registry of the Superior Courts, today 6th December 2023 ALEXANDRA DEBATTISTA For the Registrar, Civil Courts and Tribunals A factory worker's acquittal on charges relating to the tragic workplace death of a young col- league in 2015, has been con- firmed on appeal. The Court of Criminal Ap- peal, presided by Madam Jus- tice Consuelo Scerri Herrera, found no reason to change last May's decision by the Court of Magistrates not to find 52-year-old David Blundell responsible for the death of 17-year old Matthew Bartolo. Bartolo died as a result of a horrific accident at the Con- struct Furniture factory in Luqa, after becoming stuck in a woodworking machine. Blundell, an experienced car- penter who had been supervis- ing Bartolo, a new employee, at the time, was subsequently charged with failing to take reasonable health and safety measures at the Luqa factory. He was acquitted in May 2023, with the Court of Magis- trates observing that the mag- isterial inquiry into the fatal incident and the testimony of the two men who had been working with the victim at the time, provided no evidence of wrongdoing on Blundell's part. This view was shared by the Court of Appeal, which con- firmed Blundell's acquittal on Monday. Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera, deciding the appeal, said that the prose- cution had not succeeded in proving the accusation beyond reasonable doubt. Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri assisted Blun- dell. Inspector Hubert Cini prosecuted. Factory worker's acquittal over death of 17-year-old employee confirmed on appeal Matthew Bartolo, from Kirkop, died following an accident at Construct Furniture's factory at Hal Farrug MALTA experienced an 8.5% growth in non-EU nationals over the course of sev- en months in 2023. Data published in the House of Rep- resentatives shows that Malta's number of registered foreign workers from out- side the EU grew from 63,400 in January 2023, to 68,755 in July 2023. The growth in numbers coincides with a growing political discourse about the effect of foreign workers on employ- ment remuneration, property prices and public infrastructure use. The largest cohort of foreign workers in the data are Indians, numbering over 13,000, and growing by 13.5% from Jan- uary to July 2023. They are followed by Filipinos (9,500), Nepalese (8,100), Britons (5,100), Serbi- ans, Albanians, Colombians, Turks, Pa- kistanis, and Macedonians. The largest increase was that of Colombians, grow- ing by 25.5% to 3,149 in July 2023. EU workers on the other hand grew from 33,470 to 34,900 over the same period (4.3%). The data shows that there were 34,900 and 1,912 dependents from the EU in July 2023, apart from 412 workers hail- ing from EFTA nations Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. The largest EU population in Malta are Italians, numbering 11,500, growing by 4.3% over the same period. They are followed by Romanians (2,600), Bulgar- ians, Spaniards, French, Germans, Hun- garians, Poles, and Swedes. A quarter of Maltese businesses em- ploy workers from outside the EU, a recent Eurobarometer survey on skills shortages and recruitment in small and medium-sized enterprises shows. The findings place Maltese companies as the third most likely in the EU to hire non- EU workers. 44% of the surveyed 252 Maltese busi- nesses believed that simplifying proce- dures for hiring non-EU workers could aid in recruiting staff with the neces- sary skills. This sentiment was echoed by 38% of SMEs across all EU member states. A majority of respondents, 59%, believed that improved collaboration with public employment services rep- resented the most effective measure to tackle skill shortages. Foreign workers from outside the Eu- ropean Union are also twice as likely as Maltese workers to present a ter- mination notice within a year of being employed, according to a Central Bank study. 36% of third country nationals work- ing in Malta have their job terminat- ed within a year, while 15% have their jobs terminated in just three months. Among Maltese workers, just 10% of all Maltese workers are subject to a termi- nation notice within three months of them being first engaged. But the pro- portion then drops much more, with less than 20% being terminated in the first year. Non-EU workers up by 8.5% in first half of 2023 Number of EU workers grew from 33,470 to 34,900 over the same period Many non-EU workers are employed in the construction industry