The cleansing department requires the services of 70 cleaners on a fulltime basis and has requested a number of individuals who are registered as unemployed, to apply, with anyone failing to do so, facing possible removal from the register.

This emerges from a letter sent by the director of the cleansing services department, Ramon Deguara, and Robert Abela from the Parastatal Unit in the Employment Services Division to an individual. This newspaper has a copy of the letter where it states that the cleansing department requires the services of 70 cleaners. The deadline for applications is Friday.

As things stood before this letter was sent, the government would issue a public call for applications which would see participating contracting cleaning companies bid for the tender.

Last week, during a string of political activities linked to the European Parliament election, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat warned that those who were on the unemployment register and awaiting a vacancy to crop up which he termed as not an “in demand job”, citing petrol pump attendant vacancies as an example, would have to resort to other job opportunities that arose.

He said it was not on that a number of unemployed individuals refused job opportunities and sat there waiting for an ‘inexistent’ vacancy to crop up.

Dr Muscat said that those who failed to comply could face losing unemployment benefits, meaning they would be removed from the unemployment register.

The Opposition has been hammering on the issue that the number of persons on the unemployment register has risen to 8,000.

Worthy of note is that Dr Muscat did point out last week that his government would do its utmost to combat the precarious job ‘plague’. During an event marking Workers’ Day held at the Malta Union of Teachers’ premises in Valletta and organised by FORUM, both the Opposition and Alternattiva Demokratika called on the government to set an example and stop promoting precarious work, claiming the government was issuing tenders to contractors who in fact promoted poor working conditions.

Dr Muscat replied saying that around six contracting companies were beinding the rules every time, despite the government’s attempts to emerge with stiff regulations to combat precarious employment.

Therefore, he said, the government was now dealing with these contractors individually.

The fact that the cleansing department has sent the above mentioned request directly to a number of unemployed persons, is either a move by the government to combat precarious employment, or to reduce the number of listed unemployed persons.

In October, the Malta Employers’ Association had claimed in a statement that government contracts for security officers and cleaning staff are still being awarded to bidders tendering at hourly rates that "barely cover" the minimum wage.

The MEA had said the practice, an issue of long-standing dispute for unions as well, was placing "serious operators at a severe competitive disadvantage and fuelling the hysteria about precarious employment in these sectors, casting a negative image on all employers."

Employers had claimed that security and cleaning contracts barely covered the minimum wage.

Back in July, the government had announced a number of mandatory conditions to be included in each tender issued in its bid to clamp down on contracts promoting precarious working conditions.

Last Sunday, Dr Muscat also reiterated that minimum wage earners would benefit from financial top up assistance.

70 ‘wanted’ cleaners to be deployed in various tourism zones, ministry says

The Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure has stated that the cleaners would be deployed to various tourism zones, but denied that the move is linked to the government’s fight against precarious employment or a move to reduce the number of listed unemployed persons.

Reacting to The Malta Independent story, the ministry said that “as had been announced in the 2014 Budget Speech, following consultation with all the stakeholders concerned, the government had set up the National Tourism Zones Action Committee to ensure that the state of maintenance and cleansing of our tourist areas are upgraded to the highest standards. 

“For this purpose, the ministry will soon be engaging approximately 70 employees to be deployed in various tourism zones around the island.

“New cleansing frequencies are to be introduced in the coming summer season in all touristic areas. This initiative was greatly welcomed by all stakeholders who are sitting on the National Tourism zone action committee.

“These services are to be additional to those being presently provided by Local Councils, which are not enough to the cleansing standards the government is aiming at.

“These employees are to be deployed in different times during the day, according to the locality. “Internal calls for applications to fulfill the required number of employees from among government employees was issued twice; during 2011 and 2013. In 2011, no applications were received, while in 2013, seven applications were received.

“The balance of 70 employees needed to implement this project  are to be recruited externally through the ETC.”