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Malta will not allow any more taxi drivers and couriers into the country, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Thursday, insisting the labour market no longer needs such workers.
In an interview with Newsbook editor-in-chief Matthew Xuereb, Abela said the country already has enough Y-plated drivers and couriers and does not need more workers to do these jobs.
“The country has reached its limit and no longer needs such workers. Therefore, no more workers will be accepted for such jobs,” he said.
Abela confirmed that hundreds of non-EU citizens seeking work permits to work as taxi drivers and food couriers had had their applications rejected.
He said it was a strategic decision taken by authorities in recent weeks.
While the move will not affect third-country nationals already working in these positions, Abela said any workers whose applications were rejected in Malta would likely have to leave the country.
Abela also referred to a recent court case in which a business owner was charged with human trafficking and worker exploitation for bringing foreign workers into Malta under false pretenses.
While the boss has been convicted and faces two years in prison, Abela warned that workers who were tricked into coming to Malta could be forced to return to their home countries.
“If there is no legal work, they have to leave the country,” he said.
100 Apply for Welfare Fraud Amnesty
When asked about the welfare fraud scandal, Abela said 100 people had applied for the presidential pardon, which was for those who benefited from the social welfare scam orchestrated by former Labour MP Silvio Grixti.
Abela said the pardon was not for those who assisted and planned the fraud, but for those who had been convicted and were undergoing court proceedings or investigation.
The prime minister insisted that most of the applicants were people who were not eligible for the full benefit but still suffered from some medical condition.
Abela did not confirm how many people had been granted pardons, but he said applications were being reviewed.
Increasing pressure on the power grid
Abela defended the efforts made by EnEM and the Ministry of Energy in recent months to strengthen Malta’s electricity distribution system.
He continued to defend it despite a number of power outages across Malta and Gozo.
Abela said the grid was under increasing pressure for a variety of reasons, including the growing uptake of electric vehicles and even a shore-to-ship system that allows some cruise ships to plug directly into the national grid and shut down their engines.
He said that following a series of blackouts in 2023, the Malta Electricity Company began implementing a cable replacement and reinforcement programme. In this project, the government entity completed six years of work in seven months.
Abela said none of the cables and connectors replaced during the exercise failed or caused power outages. Instead, the failures that occurred this year occurred in areas where work had not yet begun or was not completed.
PM open to restoring stability
Abela, meanwhile, said he was willing to renew Stabbiltà, the price stabilization program launched by the government in January.
Under the plan, the government and major food importers and retailers agreed to reduce prices of about 400 food items to curb inflation.
Abela said the government could revive the program in the next budget if it was still needed to stabilize inflation.
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