Endless False Promises That Turn Into Threats: Finding Work In Malta Without A Permit Isn’t Easy
Endless promises to sort out visas that quickly turn into threats – welcome to the life of a third country national trying to find work in Malta.
“‘I just want to work’ – do you know how many times a day I hear that? Too many,” one woman who tries to assist TCNs in Malta, Patricia Graham, told Lovin Malta.
Hearing the personal experiences of these vulnerable men and women on a regular basis, Graham shared what these potential workers face as they go company to company trying to find work.
“I’m working with people who trusted the system, and applied for jobs, where the employer would say they’re applying for their work permits… so they’d wait. A few days would pass, and then they get the call: ‘listen, I need you to come in and work now, and we can call it training, and I will pay you your wage. I think you’ll be a credit to this company, and I want to help you.”‘
“Help yourself, more like!” Graham continued. “By having them working illegally, paying basic wage without any contributions or taxes – just don’t put them in the deli where they could slice a thumb and need health care!”
Undocumented workers face a series of abuses in Malta.
From workers falling storeys on work sites, becoming grievously injured only to be discarded on the side of the road, to other workers spending months working for companies only to be taken for a ride, the men and women within the group are among the most vulnerable in Malta.
And it’s not just potential employers – even though it’s illegal, the practice of migrants paying significant fees to Maltese work agencies to acquire permits is widespread on the island.
Watch migrant worker Jaiteh Lamin speak on the day he was left for dead after being injured on a worksite below.
“You can say you don’t feel comfortable with this but ‘trust’ this employer, because, yes, it’s tough not earning when the rent is due, and the permit has still not come through,” Graham pointed out, recounting some of the things workers are told.
“Listen, I am best friends with the Police Commissioner, your papers will be through quickly, we will be helping each other out.”
“So you do it. You start working. A day turns to weeks, weeks turn to months, so you ask questions. As soon as you start asking questions, your days are numbered. That’s when the threats start: ‘I will report you to immigration,’ ‘it was your choice,’ ‘I can have you deported,’ ‘you were only on training.’
“Then comes the day you dreaded – Jobsplus hold an inspection.”
Employers will often lie to cover for their undocumented worker, saying they are just training, or don’t work there. But Graham points out that employers often have lawyers ready to defend them no matter what, whereas workers will immediately be left to fend for themselves.”
“Remember the Bosnian hairdresser? No wages, no contributions, no taxes, no FS3, no termination letter? The employer was taken to court and that case concluded this week,” she said.
“You would think that now, after 18 months, the employee would be able to apply for another job and the judge would have ordered the employer supply all paperwork needed, but no. The hairdresser has been told to employ a lawyer in order to remain in Malta!”
Having spent years hearing the issues these desperate workers face, Graham is calling on any workers who face abuse of this sort to speak out and get help.
“Something needs to be done. The problem is that I have to tell these men and women not to work, because if they get caught they will be deported – but I also know we are heading towards Christmas and they have no option…”
Have you experienced anything of this sort locally?
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