Watch: No Room For Amateurs In Malta’s Construction Industry, Robert Abela Says
Prime Minister Robert Abela has said there is “no room” for amateurs in Malta’s construction industry as he pledged to reform the sector in the wake of the Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry.
“Our country deserves higher standards to ensure people can live in peace at home and construction workers can go to work without concerns about their own safety,” Abela told a political rally today. “We don’t want any builder or worker to have to choose between losing their livelihood and placing their own life or health at risk.”
“We want to separate the professionals from the amateurs. Those amateurs who don’t want these higher standards don’t belong in this sector.”
Despite spending months warning that a public inquiry could hinder a magisterial inquiry, Abela today admitted that the two had different goals, with t that the public inqury’s goal was scrutinise the work of government entities.
The Prime Minister admitted that enforcement needs to be coordinated among different government regulators, that enforcement officers need better training, and that citizens deserve more direct access to them.
“We must also focus on the step that must come before enforcement, which is to make a distinction between those who are serious and those who aren’t and to separate those who are ready to apply new higher standards from those who want to sideline them.”
“Those in the second category will face strict enforcement, including stopping them from working entirely. Those who aren’t serious don’t belong in construction.”
What needs to change in Malta’s construction industry?
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