Prime Minister Issues Blanket Ban on New Work Permits for Taxi Drivers and Food CouriersPrime Minister Issues Blanket Ban on New Work Permits for Taxi Drivers and Food Couriers Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced a blanket ban on new work permits for taxi drivers and food couriers. The move is intended to address concerns raised by Maltese workers about increased competition from foreign workers, which has led to lower earnings and wages falling below the minimum wage in some cases. Employment Agencies Warned Against Loopholes Abela warned employment agencies against attempting to find loopholes to bring in new third-country nationals for these sectors. He stated that JobsPlus has already rejected hundreds of applications from employees who applied for certain jobs but ended up working as taxi drivers or food couriers. Protecting Maltese Workers The Prime Minister emphasized that the ban will protect Maltese workers who have invested in vehicles for the sector and have seen their earnings decline due to the influx of foreign workers. He also hopes it will encourage employers to treat their current foreign workers with respect and improve working conditions, as they will not be able to replace them with other foreign workers if necessary. No Concrete Answer on Price Impact When questioned about the potential impact on taxi fares and food delivery costs, Abela avoided a direct response, suggesting that a few people would object to the status quo. He did indicate that a labor market overview will be published by JobsPlus in the coming weeks to determine which jobs should be closed to third-country nationals. Exceptions for Certain Sectors The Prime Minister clarified that the blanket ban will not apply to workers in the health and elderly care sectors, as Malta relies on foreign workers in these areas. He emphasized that it is unfair to suggest that Malta can operate without foreign workers in these essential professions. Next Steps JobsPlus will conduct an extensive consultation process before implementing the labor market overview, which will determine which jobs will be closed to third-country nationals. Abela assured that the ban will be implemented after thorough deliberations and discussions with relevant stakeholders.
After Prime Minister Robert Abela announced a blanket ban on new work permits for taxi drivers and food couriers, he warned employment agencies against trying to find loopholes to bring in new third-country nationals for these sectors.
Abela said today on ONE TV’s Paperscan program that JobsPlus has already rejected hundreds of applications from employees who applied for certain jobs, but ended up working as a taxi driver or food courier.
“There is no room for this kind of games,” Abela warned. “To those who are trying to get on life support, I say it is not even worth the time you are wasting because your applications are being rejected.”
Abela said this blanket ban will do justice to Maltese workers who had purchased a car to work in the sector but whose earnings had dropped significantly, sometimes even below the minimum wage, due to increased competition from foreign workers.
He also said that it will encourage employers to treat their current foreign workers with dignity and improve their working conditions, as they cannot replace their workers with other foreign workers if they decide to leave Malta.
However, the prime minister dodged the question of whether the prices of taxi rides and food delivery will skyrocket as a result of the reform, saying only that “a few people will make a lot of noise because they are satisfied with the status quo”.
In a few weeks, JobsPlus will publish a labour market overview to determine which jobs should be closed to third-country nationals. Abela promised that it would only be implemented after an extensive consultation period, but indicated that workers in the health and elderly care sectors would not be affected.
“I could be populist, as some people like to be, and say that Malta doesn’t need foreign workers or that we can do without them. But if I had to tell that story in those two sectors, I would be wrong and unfair to the people.”
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