‘Most Of My Drivers Are Maltese But I’m Losing Three Of My Best’: Cab Fleet Owner
The owner of a local cab fleet company has called out authorities over changes to Malta’s work permit policy for third-country nationals which he says has left him without three of his best and most experienced workers.
Maz Bouamid, the founder and CEO of the fleet company T8 reached out to Lovin Malta to express his disappointment at the way in which his employees had been treated by the authorities.
Over the past few days hundreds of third-country nationals working as cab drivers and food couriers have had their application for a work permit refused, sending shockwaves throughout the industry.
The new measure was implemented by Identita, the country’s citizenship regulator, on the advice of state employment agency Jobsplus, which has concluded that the market for such jobs had reached saturation.
In a statement this afternoon the government stressed that the measure would not impact those who were already working in these industries. However, Bouamid’s experience suggests this isn’t the case.
He told Lovin Malta that his company employed around 50 drivers and supplies vehicles and workers to Bolt, among others. He said that 90% of employees are EU nationals, roughly 60% of whom are Maltese. Bouamid, a third-country national himself, insisted that where his drivers were from made no difference to him as an employer.
“I agree with having more controls on the market but you can’t do things like this, you cannot discriminate,” he insisted.
As a result of the government’s new policy, Bouamid is facing the prospect of losing his “top three” drivers, all of whom have been working for him for the last four years.
“I’ve had enough, I’ve reached my mental limit,” he said while explaining that he’s made it a point to stay out of the media since starting his business in 2018.
Bouamid clarified that the new policy won’t have too great an impact on his business, given that most of his employees are EU citizens. However, he felt compelled to speak out because he felt bad for what his employees were going through as a result of an “unfair, discriminatory and senseless” policy.
“When you kick them out, where are they going to go? One of my drivers is getting married next month in another country, what’s he supposed to do?”
“How can the government, with the press of a button, stop everything and make such a decision? There should be warnings and notices.”
Last December, a second company owned by Bouamid applied for the three TCN workers to be transferred from one company to another but two days ago, their work permit applications were all refused. The drivers are Serbian, Macedonian, and Bosnian, he said.
The Macedonian man had been living in Malta for the last ten years, he was completely integrated and even has a document certifying his proficiency in the Maltese language. Yet, he was refused a work permit.
“He’s now fallen into a depression and does not know what to do, he might leave Malta after 10 years of living here.”
“He was one of my best-paid drivers and paid a good monthly sum of tax to the government. This doesn’t make sense.”
Meanwhile, the Serbian driver found out about his refusal while he was visiting his home country, he’s now stuck in Serbia and doesn’t know what to do next.
Boaumid went on to address the government’s public statement that some of these hundreds of permits were refused because they were applied by abusive employers.
“My employees are well taken care of, I choose to lose half my revenue to ensure that my employees are paid and treated well. The reasons for their refusals do not make sense.”
“How am I abusing my drivers if they’ve been working with me for years?”
Boaumid went on to say that if the government wants more Maltese to be employed by fleet companies, then the minimum wage should be increased because while he ensures that his employees are paid a decent salary, not all companies do.
A good way to incentivise more Maltese people working in the industry is to ensure they’re not being paid the current minimum wage. This could be done through a bonus granted by the government fleet companies for the employment of Maltese citizens. A percentage of this bonus can then be reflected in their wage, the businessman explained. Another option is to elevate the minimum wage to one that’s reasonable and sustainable.
Have you been affected by these refusals? Reach out to [email protected] and [email protected] to share your story
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