Work Permit Changes Won’t Impact Existing Drivers and Couriers, Government Says
A shift in policy that will no longer see Malta grant work permits to third country nationals looking to work as cab drivers or food couriers will not impact those who are already employed in the sector, according to the government.
Yesterday, Lovin Malta reported that hundreds of third country nationals working in the country’s cab and food courier sectors had unexpectedly had work permit applications rejected by Identita, the country’s citizenship agency.
The change in policy has left several local operators scrambling to replace staff with questions raised about whether they will be able to operate through the summer. Many expressed frustrations at not having been consulted by local authorities and at the fact that they still had not received any form of explanation.
In a statement this afternoon, the government acknowledged the shift in policy, noting that a “comprehensive labour market testing” exercise by Jobsplus had “indicated that the labour market for cab drivers and food couriers has reached saturation”.
“Consequently, Jobsplus has recommended refusals for a number of new applications, including those from individuals still abroad and those seeking a change of employer,” read the statement. “This decision is based on an extensive review of the labour market, including analysing unemployment registers and employer vacancies.”
The statement added that the measure will not affect current workers in these sectors. “Applications for renewals of existing employees will continue to be processed without interruption.”
A spokesperson for Bolt, which operates both a ride-hailing platform and food courier platform, yesterday told Lovin Malta that the company could not understand how the decision was taken, adding that according to the figures available to it, the supply and demand of drivers was well matched.
A representative of a local cab fleet company told Lovin Malta that Jobsplus has effectively told them that they needed to change their business model to one that uses Maltese or European workers, something most operators claim is unrealistic. Several operators have declared their intention to form an association and engage with government as a group.
Clamp down on abusive employers
The government’s statement also suggested that some of the permits might have been refused because they were put forward by abusive employers.
“Whenever cases of abuse arise, appropriate action will be taken by the competent authorities. [Home Affairs minister] Byron Camilleri has emphasised in Parliament that employers under investigation for exploiting their employees will not be permitted to recruit additional foreign workers until such investigations are resolved,” it said.
Several third country nationals who have shared their story with Lovin Malta have said that they were being refused a permit despite having paid up to €10,000 for the opportunity to work in Malta. It is unclear at this stage who the beneficiaries of these funds were
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