The Malta Employers' Association said it considers the Prime Minister's decision to allow Ministers Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri to get away with their actions as a true slap in the face to governance and accountability.

The phantom job given to Minister Bartolo's wife was not the first of its kind and the reaction of the Prime Minister sends a clear message to the country that certain people in high places can break regulations without any consequence for their actions, the MEA said in a statement.

These and many other non-productive jobs given in the public sector are one reason why there is a shortage of employees in the private sector that is being addressed through the employment of foreign workers, the MEA said.

Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri were found by the Standards Commissioner to have abused their power when Bartolo's then-girlfriend Amanda Muscat was given a job she had no qualifications for, and did not do. The tourism and Gozo ministers respectively were found to have failed to administer public funds diligently, Standards Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi said in a report which was published by the parliamentary ethics committee.

Azzopardi found that Amanda Muscat, now Bartolo's wife, was first promoted from being Bartolo's personal assistance to his consultant with an increased salary of almost €62,000 and, later, this was upped to €68,000 when she moved to Camilleri's ministry in 2021. The 40-page report showed that Muscat did not have the necessary qualifications for the job and did not do consultancy work. By and large she continued to work as Bartolo's private secretary, with a consultant's salary, even when she was employed with Camilleri.

The MEA said ministers and civil servants are there to serve the people, not to take advantage of their positions to dispense lucrative government jobs at will.

The Malta Employers' Association said it has long called for control and accountability for the engagement of persons of trust, by ensuring that they are limited in number and given to persons who can justify what they earn through their expertise and output. Unfortunately, there are too many examples of such jobs being awarded to those who seek political favouritism.

Many employees see the injustice of having to give an honest day's work to earn their salary, whilst a selected few are handed exorbitant packages and contracts for doing nothing or almost nothing. This is affecting the national work ethic and the motivation of the honest worker and entrepreneur. It can no longer be allowed to persist.

If the Prime Minister truly believes in good governance and aspires towards uphold the country's reputation, then he should act consistently and do the right thing to send a clear message that such abuses in a serious country like Malta are not tolerated.