In a statement today, Solidarjeta’ said that Aleksandar’s landlord has “caved to public and legal pressure” and restored his water and electricity.

“Aleksandar would like to show appreciation to the public and his workplace for the support they have given him throughout this process,” the union said.

“This win was only possible because of the solidarity shown by the public and by union members. When we organise, we win!

Solidarjeta’ warned that the incident has shone a light on the precariousness of tenants’ lives in Malta, and how a fit of rage by their landlord can effectively make them homeless, with the state unable or unwilling to intervene.

“While the punishment for shutting off utilities increases with each passing day, the reality is that most tenants, either due to police unwillingness, being scared of repercussions, being unaware of their rights, the lack of funds needed to take legal action, or the massive inconvenience of being without water and electricity, will not take cases like this to court,” they said.

“With the only solutions available being months-long court processes, the complete inability or unwillingness of the state to intervene in issues like this means that many landlords can use, and most likely have used, this method to illegally evict tenants from their homes without repercussions. This must change.”

“This issue is far more important than a few hundred euros of profit for landlords. This is a matter of people being able to live with a basic level of dignity, and for some, it could even be a matter of life and death. It must not be handled through the courts.”

“We demand that either the law is changed to allow tenants to restore their own water and electricity without legal repercussions or that the government have emergency measures to restore the water and electricity themselves.”