GWU appeals to courier and taxi companies: take responsibility for the working conditions of your employees

The workers’ union welcomed the government’s moves to “simplify the disorderly issuance of work permits” to third-country nationals, but drew attention to the state of working conditions for such workers.

Secretary General Josef Bugeja said that if food delivery companies and taxi companies complain about “high turnover” of employees, it is an indication of poor working conditions in these sectors, which leads to employees leaving such jobs in search of better and more decent work.

“The GWU agrees that workers should not be brought in from third countries unless there is a genuine need, otherwise they are at risk of exploitation. The GWU supports the government’s strategy in this matter and does not believe that this policy direction affects the operations of these companies as they claim,” Bugeja said.

Bugeja cited a statement from taxi platform Bolt, which attributed recent price increases and longer waiting times to the refusal to issue or renew work permits to TCN contractors.

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

He added that platform workers who spoke to the union confirmed that they were dissatisfied with their current working conditions, in particular with the wages they received, as well as the costs they had to pay for protective clothing, renting motorcycles to deliver food and long waiting times for assignments.

“All this leads to constant employee turnover as many leave at the first opportunity in search of a better job,” Bugeja said.

The union also held a meeting with couriers working on the Bolt platform and called for greater vigilance and enforcement against those who continue to exploit these workers.

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

The GWU has called on companies to take the necessary steps to improve the working conditions of their employees in order to reduce the continuous need for new work permits for third-country workers in these sectors, while at the same time ensuring that workers enjoy a decent quality of life in Malta.