Education and Employment Minister Louis Galea yesterday had a meeting with the Union Haddiema Maghqudin during which they discussed occupational health and safety. He was accompanied by the chairman of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, Roberta Messina, the director of Industrial Relations and Employment, Noel Vella, and the executive head of the Employment and Training Corporation, Sue Vella.

The meeting was held at the request of the UHM in the wake of the latest fatality at work, when a worker fell seven storeys to his death. Workers’ health and safety at work should be at the top of the national agenda, with economic development, UHM secretary general Gejtu Vella said.

Dr Galea said everyone involved, workers, employers, and the courts which hand down sentences, should give a clear message against abuse.

The minister and the UHM agreed there should be more enforcement of the law through employing more inspectors immediately. Ms Messina said the OHSA was in the process of a call for applications for enforcement officers. Administrative fines were also planned and the government intended to bring in harsher penalties against non-observance of the law.

Ms Vella said that those found guilty in cases of occupational health and safety abuses would be blacklisted by the ETC, which would mean they would not get certain services, subsidies, training grants and permits to employ foreigners.