Abolish ‘exploitative recruitment agencies’ Graffitti tells government after courier strike

Moviment Graffitti said “exploitative recruitment agencies” should be abolished, and workers be employed directly by platform workers.

“We stand in solidarity with the 345 food couriers who are striking due to their miserably low wages. As we warned last December, the new law introduced by the government aimed at better regulating this sector was bound to fail because it did not remove exploitative recruitment agencies,” the NGO said.

It was reacting to a news that some 345 couriers are protesting the pay after the company removed their weekend bonus. Food couriers said they are struggling to make ends meet, after the company slashed their wages. They said that some of them work for 18 hours each day, only to earn €3 an hour.

In a Facebook post titled ‘What the government isn’t telling you about striking Bolt workers’, the NGO stated government needs to overhaul current legislation to eradicate the structural causes of this “systemic exploitation.”

“Companies like Bolt are not the actual employers of the striking workers. Bolt enters into agreements with parasitic recruitment agencies that employ workers in dismal conditions,” they said. “This arrangement ensures that both the platform company (e.g., Bolt) and the employment agency exploit workers without legal consequences. Platform companies can change the pay they give to workers at will since, technically, it is the employment agency that provides the salary, not them.”

They said it is next to impossible for workers to take action against exploitation by the recruitment agency since it has the power to terminate their residence permit in Malta.

“Asking workers to join a union is not enough. The government needs to overhaul current legislation to eradicate the structural causes of this systemic exploitation,” they said, reacting to ministerial statements earlier today.

“Exploitative recruitment agencies should be abolished, and all workers in the sector should be employed directly by the platform companies with legally regulated wages and working conditions,” the NGO said.

‘Ministers have forgotten their responsibilities’ – Ivan Castillo

In a separate Facebook post on Monday evening, Opposition MP Ivan Castillo said ministers should not only ensure that there are the right laws, but that the laws are enforced, “and that anyone exploiting workers is brought to justice, otherwise the law is not worth the paper it's written on!”

“This afternoon in Parliament I asked the minister what action is to be taken when faced with 345 platform workers who are publicly stating that they are being robbed! That a work regulation order specifically for these workers is not being enforced! Earlier today a statement made by Junior Minister Andy Ellul stated that no report was made!” he said on Facebook.

“Both Minister and Junior Minister should not only ensure that there are the right laws, but that the laws are enforced, and that anyone exploiting workers is brought to justice, otherwise the law is not worth the paper it's written on! They seem to either have forgotten or do not know what the responsibilities of a Minister are,” he said.