A betrayal of Labour’s values
The government’s budget measures covering TCNs raise fundamental questions about equality, fairness and social justice, writes Albert Buttigieg. Are foreign workers good enough to sustain Malta’s economy but not good enough to enjoy the same public services?
The Labour government’s proposal to require third-country nationals (TCNs) to pay for public transport and childcare, while Maltese citizens continue to enjoy these services free of charge, raises fundamental questions about equality, fairness and social justice. It also reveals much about what Labour stands for today.
How can a government that claims to champion workers’ rights justify treating people differently when they live and work in Malta and pay taxes and social security contributions like everyone else? Are foreign workers good enough to sustain Malta’s economy but not good enough to enjoy the same public services?
One of the fundamental principles of workers’ rights is equal pay for equal work. Trade unions and political parties, including the Labour Party, have long championed this principle. Anyone performing the same work should be entitled to equal pay. When workers are treated differently without objective justification, the risk of discrimination arises.
The same principle of fairness should apply to public services. If foreign workers pay taxes and social security contributions like Maltese citizens, why should they be excluded from services that others enjoy free of charge? If they are legally obliged to contribute to the tax system, does access to the benefits it helps finance suddenly become a privilege reserved for others?
The median income of a TCN worker is €18,000, which is, 38% below the national average. Consequently, these measures will place additional financial pressure on an already vulnerable group, with all the hardship that entails.
When free public transport was introduced, one of its objectives was to reduce reliance on private cars and ease traffic congestion. How would making public transport more expensive for a particular group of workers help achieve this goal? These measures will do nothing to address overcrowded buses or traffic congestion. On the contrary, they could encourage some workers to purchase second-hand cars or motorbikes. The proposal raises concerns not only about equality but also about the consistency and effectiveness of the government’s transport policy.
If Finance Minister Clyde Caruana is looking for ways to address the country’s financial challenges and its historical national debt of €12 billion, the government should begin by examining how public money is spent. Wasteful expenditure, excessive salaries awarded to political loyalists and generous direct orders deserve serious scrutiny. Before imposing additional costs on certain categories of workers, the government should ensure that taxpayers’ money is being spent responsibly.
If we accept that TCNs should be treated differently, could this set a precedent for excluding them from other public services in the future, including subsidised utilities, primary and secondary education or healthcare?
The government has every right, and, indeed, a duty, to debate immigration, population growth and the cost of public services. However, such discussions must not lead to the creation of modern slavery and institutionalise discrimination.
If people are rightly concerned about Malta’s growing population, accountability should begin with those who designed and implemented the policies that contributed to this situation, rather than with foreign workers themselves, who came here because they were asked to do so.
Over the past 13 years, the Labour government has pursued an economic model that relies heavily on foreign labour. Recently, the prime minister boasted that this formula was working and delivering results. It is therefore ironic that Caruana, one of the architects of this economic model, should now be expressing concern about its consequences.
More troubling still is that a government which prides itself on its Labour and socialist credentials is proposing a measure that runs counter to the very principles those traditions are supposed to uphold. This is anything but Labour.
The racist and inhumane comments directed at foreign workers by some Maltese people on social media are appalling. Yet, in an attempt to placate public discontent over overpopulation, a problem its own policies helped create, the government has chosen to take a tough stance against a group with no political voice or vote. Sadly, it appears politically safe to bully this vulnerable group. How far has Labour drifted from the values it once championed?
If the government has built Malta’s economy on the contribution of foreign workers, it cannot now shift the burden of the problems created by that economic model onto their shoulders. It cannot depend on their labour when the economy needs them and then treat them differently when it comes to sharing the benefits of public services.
Many TCNs, particularly those working in nursing, elderly care and hospitality may find it difficult to remain in Malta and could move to other countries. What are the government’s plans to fill the gaps they leave behind when labour shortages already exist? The budget also fails to explain how Malta will transition from a labour-intensive economy to one driven by productivity and higher-value employment.
Ultimately, this is about far more than the cost of a bus journey or free childcare. It is about the kind of society Malta wants to be and the values its political leaders are prepared to uphold.
In my book, every worker who contributes to our economy and society, regardless of nationality, deserves fairness, dignity and respect. Otherwise, the language of equality becomes little more than empty, hypocritical rhetoric.
Will the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) and our trade unions wake up from their slumber?
Shame on you, Labour!
(This article was published on Times of Malta – 1 November, 2026)