That large field next to the Addolorata Cemetery, where they used to hold the circus, has suddenly been filled with Turkish trucks and cement mixers.

They must have been brought in to take part in the next phase of the multi-layered overpasses, the contract of which was won by a Turkish company after an international tender.

Then in the past days came the revelation that as many as 2,500 Turkish workers will be brought over and housed in containers to take part in some huge construction projects in the near future.

This story has not been denied, nor confirmed, but a different news source actually doubled the number of Turkish workers said to be coming.

There has been, and undoubtedly will be, massive reactions on the popular level with multiple reverberations on the populist fringe with racist undertones. We do not intend to go there.

To us, this massive invasion, if it actually happens, is directly in line with the massive openness which has taken over our economy, where growth can only come from an increased foreign working population. The prime minister himself was recently quoted as saying that if we want to preserve our pensions, we must allow foreigners to come in.

It is true that there are supposedly strict rules that govern the issuing of work permits, such as ensuring that the work permit is issued only when it is clear that there are no Maltese who can do the job. But such a massive number rather begs belief that as many as 2,500 Maltese construction workers could not be found to do the job.

One tries to work out the economics of the question. Obviously, the companies who may be getting all these Turkish workers in know they come rather cheap, compared to the average rates Maltese workers get, although foreign workers are supposed to get wages at the Maltese minimum wage levels.

It is also widely known that Turkey as a country hires its workforce all over the world. They flooded to Libya after the regime change, for instance. Their economies of scale do matter too.

But what about the Maltese workers who may be displaced by this sudden influx? As the latest Central Bank business survey shows (see story on pg 1) the construction sector was about the only sector where confidence in the sector decreased for the first time since the start of 2017 in the third quarter of 2018.

Besides, as we all know, construction jobs are usually split and shared among different firms who specialize in one or other area. What was the reason why this was not followed this time? On the other hand, it may be argued that with such a huge construction job, it would have wiped out all other construction work around the island.

One other issue in this regard is: how did this thing get decided, or is it the private sector which now decides these things? Shouldn't the country, and its authorities have got involved before the country is faced with a fait accompli that will have immeasurable consequences at ground level? And if they were brought into the picture, were any safeguards thought of and implemented?

Some time ago, the construction sector was urged to 'make hay while the sun shines'. They did and we can see the consequences all around us. We have now got to the point, it seems, where the local construction sector is so taken up with work (despite what is said by the Central Bank) that masses of foreign workers have to be brought in. What happens when this massive project is completed? What happens when the local construction sector runs out of steam?