Shoulder responsibility for your workers’ conditions, GWU tells courier and cab companies

The General Workers’ Union has welcomed government action to “streamline the indiscriminate issuance of work permits” for third-country nationals but has called to attention the state of working conditions for such workers.

Secretary-general Josef Bugeja said that if food courier companies and taxi driver companies complain of the “high turnover” in workers, this is an indication of poor working conditions in these sectors, leading to workers leaving such jobs for better and more dignified work.

“The GWU agrees that workers should not be brought in from third countries unless there is an actual need for them, otherwise they risk being exploited. The GWU supports the government’s strategy on this matter and does not believe that this policy direction affects the operations of these companies as they claim,” Bugeja said.

Bugeja referred to a statement from the taxi mobility platform Bolt, which has attributed recent price increases and waiting times as TCN contractors had been denied work permits or renewals of their work permits.

“The first step these companies should take is to take responsibility for their workers’ conditions, as happens in other sectors, thereby reducing the need for so many workers to replace those who leave after a short time,” Bugeja said.

He said platform workers who have spoken to the union confirmed they are unhappy with their current working conditions, most specifically the wages they receive, and on top of that, the costs they have to front for protective clothing, the rental of motorcycles for them to deliver the food, and long waiting times to be allotted business.

“All of this leads to a continuous turnover of workers, as many leave at the first opportunity for better work,” Bugeja said.

The union also held a meeting with couriers working with the Bolt platform and called for greater vigilance and enforcement against those who are still exploiting these workers.

“The single work permit system was created to tackle the lack of human resources at any given time. Now with the way the system is being abused, these companies cannot guarantee good working conditions and decent jobs for these workers,” Bugeja said.

The GWU appealed for the necessary steps to be taken by the companies to improve the conditions of their workers, in a bid to reduce the continuous need for new work permits for workers from third countries in these sectors, while ensuring workers can be guaranteed a decent quality of life in Malta.