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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 JANUARY 2025 Overdue labour migration reform is a welcome development Editorial THE labour migration policy unveiled by Jobs Minister Byron Camilleri last week was a welcome move, albeit long overdue. The 32 recommendations that have been pub- lished translate into concrete actions that are intended to achieve stability in the jobs market; stability in the lives of non-EU employees; and as a result, stability in Maltese society. The policy encourages employee retention, penalises com- panies that do not do enough to retain non-EU foreign workers and strengthens workers' rights. The latter aim is crucial because strengthening the rights of non-EU nationals will ensure that the jobs market is not undercut by abusive work conditions and unfair market practices. A key aspect linked to this recommendation is that non-EU nationals seeking a work and res- idence permit for the first time, or who are al- ready in Malta but changing employer, will have to have their salary deposited directly into a bank account. As from this year, employers of third country national will be unable to pay them thei wages in cash. This will help the authorities in monitorring against abuse since the bank transaction can eas- ily be compared to the individual's work contract to determine whether salary payments are above board. Another positive measure is the granting of a grace period of 30 days to non-EU nationals who are made redundant with a chance to find alter- native employment. The reasoning behind this is to encourage employement of people who are already established in Malta rather then tap new sources of labour. Nonetheless, two of the key proposals concern companies applying for permission to bring over workers from outside the EU. The policy proposes employee turnover thresh- olds based on company size, which if surpassed will disqualify the company from applying for residency permits for new non-EU workers. When unveiling the policy, Minister Camill- eri said this proposal was intended to weed out those companies that had a very high turnover of third country nationals, which in most cases was a sign of bad working conditions. A second proposal limits the number of new non-EU nationals a company can take on board thus avoiding mass migration with all the risks and challenges it brings. The policy does make specific exceptions for the health and care sector, where the country clearly cannot afford to have employee shortag- es, and for cases where Malta Enterprise deems it necessary. Additionally, prospective foreign workers will have to undergo an acculturation course prior to coming to Malta, which acquaints them with Maltese laws, norms, culture, values and rights and obligations. It is important that foreign workers who come here have an understanding of Maltese society if they are to develop a sense of belonging. On paper the policy looks good but as always, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. This leader hopes that when the policy comes into force, government will not bend to the whims of whiney employers. It was already a mistake for the government to embark on its economic strategy 11 years ago without having introduced the necessary safeguards and controls on the employment of non-EU nationals. It should not perform a second mistake by watering down the proposals. The State has allowed labour migration to be determined by private recruitment agencies for too long. These agencies have no interest in look- ing at the bigger picture but rather have acted with disregard to the country's economic and so- cial needs, bringing over anyone from wherever and at times treating them in undignified ways. Camilleri's proposals allow the State to retake control of labour migration in such a way as to ensure workers' rights are respected and de- mands by economic operators are balanced with society's needs. Anybody dreaming of kicking out foreign work- ers or shutting the door to them completely is delusional. Malta will continue to need foreign workers to plug gaps in the labour market. But when granting work permits, the State should be vigilant, fair and in control. Leaving things as they have been for the past decade or so is defi- nitely not a solution. Camilleri's reform deserves the chance to prove its effectiveness but government must also be steadfast in its will to implement it fully, while committing itself to continuous monitorring so that any loopholes are plugged immediately. Quote of the Week "I am withdrawing all allegations I had made in the most absolute manner." Lawyer Jason Azzopardi admitting to having repeated a lie that implicated Cabinet Secretary Ryan Spagnol in criminal activity. Azzopardi filed the declaration in court during libel proceedings Spagnol had instituted against him. Azzopardi concluded his declaration with an apology. MaltaToday 10 years ago 11 January 2015 Controlled rents to increase THE tenants of rent-controlled properties who are enjoying low rents thanks to the 1979 law that converted temporary leases into permanent rental contracts, are going to have to face up to the reality of higher rent- al payments. For years, tenants whose leases turned into rental contracts enjoyed their properties at ridiculously low annual rents. But now, judgements from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg have left the government with no choice but to amend the laws – or face having to pay mil- lions in compensation claims and damages in both national and European courts. The government now intends to bring these leases created by the 1979 law, in line with the recent rent legal amendments of 2009 – a sure guarantee that landlords will be paid higher rents on these properties. According to its action plan, the amend- ments will create a mechanism for the revision of the rent, as well as limit the inheritance of tenements, include the in- troduction of a means test, and also create measures to revert the leases to their own- ers. "The amendments will bring the leases created by the 1979 law in line with the gen- eral reform of the rent laws by the amend- ments made to the Civil Code in 2009," a government source told MaltaToday. Under the 1979 Act, which amended the Housing Decontrol Ordinance, a tem- porary emphyteusis gets automatically con- verted into a permanent rental agreement, but this has been found to be illegal by both the Maltese Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights. ...