Watch: Worker Facing Eviction Allegedly Assaulted After Leaving Exploitative Job In Malta
Akram Shahbaz had enough of his exploitative employment and was desperate to change jobs. But his employer-come-landlord had different ideas, physically assaulting him and threatening to throw him out on the streets and out of the country.
Shocking footage sent to Lovin Malta shows Pierre William Buontempo, who forms part of TreBree Group that works in recruitment and employment, assaulting one of his tenants inside a residence in Mosta, days after being informed that one of the men planned to leave the exploitative work environment.
In the video, Buontempo warns all the tenants that they will need to leave the property by the end of February, eventually attacking one of the men upon realising that the dispute is being filmed. He allegedly had assaulted Shahbaz the day prior.
Shahbaz has even claimed that Buontempo told him that he is “a slave, came here a slave, and will go back as a slave”.
In both cases, a police report was filed and investigations are underway.
Buontempo has denied the claims, insisting that he never assaulted anyone, even though video evidence shows the contrary. Buontempo also insisted that the men were poor tenants and did not pay their rent, something which they vehemently deny, stressing that they paid him everything in cash.
Lovin Malta has seen proof of transfer for the February rent, however, there is no evidence proving payments covering his rent from December to January. Buontempo insists that he never received payments in cash.
The incident marks a traumatic month and a half for Shabaz, whose dreams of opportunity in Malta quickly turned into a nightmare.
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Shahbaz, a Pakistani national, had applied for a job with TreBee before arriving in Malta. The company helped sort out his residence, permit and employment in the country against a hefty fee.
This means that TreBee is both the employer and landlord for Shahbaz and many other workers in the country. It creates a complex relationship that puts the power firmly in the hands of TreBee.
A letting agreement shows that Shahbaz entered a one year lease to reside in a shared living space in Mosta for €200 per bed per month on 1st November 2021. He arrived in Malta on 21st November.
He was eventually granted a work permit on 13th December and was quickly put to work as a delivery driver for Bolt, a food delivery platform. While Shahbaz worked as a Bolt driver, he worked for a subcontractor but remained technically employed by TreBee.
Working conditions at Bolt Food and other similar operators have been under the spotlight since the beginning of the year when it emerged that while EU nationals can be self-employed with the service, hundreds of third-country nationals are employed by agencies that take half their income.
Still, for many, the allure of employment and the work permit that comes with it is enough to keep them in this exploitative scenario. The government has pledged to address the situation, but it seems that it has fallen on the backburner.
Under Shahbaz’s agreement, the company would pay its workers their dues once every two weeks. However, Shahbaz quickly discovered that getting his well-deserved pay would be no easy task with his salary far lower than the amount he was working.
Shahbaz claimed that Buontempo would be verbally aggressive whenever he asked for the money, allegedly threatening the man with deportation.
Payment eventually arrived, however, the amount paid was far lower than the work conducted. Once again Shahbaz went to complain, and while more money was given, it still fell far short of the work he was doing for Bolt.
That was the last straw for Shahbaz, who sent an email to Buontempo on 9th February informing him of his intention to resign from the company. He was deadset on finding far more fair employment in the country, but things quickly turned sour.
Speaking to Lovin Malta, Buontempo insisted that the issues surrounding pay were not the fault of TreBee but rather the fault of the subcontractor Shahbaz was working for.
Shahbaz's letting agreement and health certificate proving injuries
Two days after the email, Buontempo demanded that Shahbaz cover all the rent for the month of February. Shahbaz planned to go to Buontempo’s office the next day, however, his employer-and-landlord turned up at the residence unannounced later that evening.
Buontempo allegedly threw a cup of coffee in Shahbaz’s face, throwing several punches. He allegedly issued several threats. One man was even allegedly forced to spend the night outside, even though he has a legitimate letting agreement.
Shahbaz was told that he would need to leave the flat by 9am the next day, with Buontempo warning Shahbaz that leaving the company would come with a €10,000 fee, something stipulated in his contract.
Shahbaz immediately went to the police once Buontempo left the residence to file a report over the incident, even visiting the health centre to get a medical certificate confirming injuries he sustained.
The next day, Buontempo descended upon the flat once again. However, this time, Shahbaz and the other men in the property were armed with mobile phones to capture the incident.
Buontempo ordered the men to vacate the property immediately, telling them that they have till at least the end of February to leave. The men continued to ask for their pending salaries, telling him that they have proof of the work they’d done.
Buontempo soon noticed he was being filmed, attacking one person carrying the camera. A separate police report was filed. Police have opened an investigation.
Under the agreement, the men can only be removed if they fail to pay their rent on time or if they engage in unacceptable behaviour, which includes subletting. Nowhere in the letting agreement does it stipulate that employment with TreBee is necessary.
However, Buontempo claimed that Shahbaz was subletting the residence to others, while that he failed to pay the rent for the months of December and January. He also insisted that the situation is being exploited by the Shahbaz and the other men so they could continue living in the residence.
Shahbaz denied the claims, insisting that people living in the apartment all have letting agreements with TreBee. The police have told them to stay within the residence for the time being.
“If we did not pay the previous months, why was he only asking for February?” he said.
The men are currently terrified for their safety and status in the country, left completely at a loss over how to navigate the complex scenario.
Under current rules, third-country nationals have a maximum of 10 days to find employment once leaving a job or else face deportation. It has created an exploitative scenario where employers hold immense power over their workers. It is made far worse in cases like Shahbaz’s where employers are also landlords.
Key operators like Bolt have pledged to force agencies to sign up to a charter guaranteeing workers’ protection, and even said they would submit a white paper on the matter. However, it seems that that has also been quickly forgotten.
A Department of Industrial and Employment Relations investigation in food couriers in Malta that was started in 2020 remains ongoing – with the issue also reportedly affecting other sectors of the digital labour platform industry.
Meanwhile, concerns over the rampant abuse of migrant workers remain firmly on the agenda, with the case of Lamin Jaiteh still fresh in the memory.
It seems that without proper enforcement, cases of abuse will continue unabated.
If you’ve experienced anything similar, please reach out to [email protected]
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