Government’s commitment to equal opportunities to all is scandalous and abusive: everything depends on whether or not you are one of the boys, Partit Demokratiku said in a statement.

In 2007, the regulation whereby the eldest child of port workers was entitled to inherit his/her father’s job was annulled, honouring EU regulations on the matter. The port workers had been handsomely compensated financially at the time for the loss of this ‘privilege’. A 2016 court judgement confirmed that the removal of the regulation was valid. Four days after the election was called in 2017, the government reinstated the privileges by Legal Notice 135/2017 when Parliament was dissolved.

There are three tiers of port workers all holding the same licence: the around 360 privileged ones who work at all ports enjoy exceptionally good conditions of work to the extent that they can even pick and choose what work to do, and even end up sub-contracting the work they’re supposed to be doing to their fellow workers, the part-timers and the casual ones.

The latter two tiers of port workers are self-employed and work under precarious work conditions with no leave benefits, and on a day-to-day basis usually as drivers and only in one particular port. They earn nowhere near what the privileged ones earn and only if there are extra hours to share. The principle of equal pay for equal work does not hold for Transport Malta and this Government. Moreover, they may be rendered redundant and their place taken over by father and son/daughter working at same place when the offspring of a privileged worker comes of age.

This situation was addressed by the PD MP Godfrey Farrugia who asked the Minister PQ 6179 on this subject which was also discussed during the adjournment. On 11th June, the Minister said that he would reply on another day. “We are still waiting…,” PD said.