The Foundation for Human Resources Development has expressed its support to the Malta Employers Association to develop a Charter for Ethical Behaviour for service providers in the Public Procurement tendering system.

The Foundation also acknowledges the concern that trade unions have with regard to the unethical and sometimes illegal practices by certain service providers and employers who engage in unfair competition.

Such malpractice may sometimes take the form of offering precarious conditions of work to their workers and wages that are below the statutory requirements and compete unfairly with employers who follow ethical standards in their business practice.

The Foundation for Human Resources Development insists that such malpractice can only be stamped out by disqualifying these service providers from bidding and severely penalized when such practices takes place.

In this respect, the Foundation for Human Resources Development has urged the government to set up a committee of representatives of the constituted bodies to discuss and draft a code of ethics for those who wish to tender for public procurement.