GWU calls for dialogue before considering industrial action over TCN measures

30 Oct 2026 - Economy | Home | News | Politics

Union says all options must be exhausted before considering industrial action.

The General Workers Union (GWU) has ruled out an immediate strike over Budget 2027 measures affecting third-country nationals (TCNs), but has not excluded industrial action if necessary.

GWU secretary general Kevin Camilleri told Times of Malta on Thursday that the union was holding talks with employers and recruitment companies to find a way forward.

“It (a strike) is not on the table right now, but we are not excluding the option entirely.”

Camilleri said the union wanted to exhaust all possible solutions before considering industrial action.

“To take action before we mitigate the issue while we have a number of employers on board will only fuel more tension. You need to exhaust all options before action like that is taken,”

He insisted that protesting was not the way forward at this stage.

Under the budget measures, third-country nationals without long-term residency will lose eligibility for free childcare and public transport.

They will also face an annual €996 charge to drive private vehicles and a €400 infrastructure fee when renewing their work permits. Fees for new work permit applications will also increase.

The GWU represents around 6,000 TCN workers.

He said employers’ willingness to engage partly reflected concerns about the lack of consultation with social partners and the potential consequences for the wider economy.

In a social media statement on Wednesday, the union acknowledged the positive measures introduced in Budget 2027 to strengthen social protection, support families and protect workers’ purchasing power.

While acknowledging concerns about overpopulation and pressure on infrastructure, he questioned why the Government had chosen “targeted and populist measures”.

He recognised the Government’s right to introduce the measures but said they conflicted with his socialist principles.

Camilleri argued that the measures risked increasing hostility towards foreign workers and reinforcing divisions between communities.

He stressed that TCNs contributed significantly to the economy and wider society, despite facing exploitation and abuse. 

Some workers, he claimed, were being paid as little as €3.50 an hour but feared reporting abuses because of possible retaliation or deportation.

“We are the first to say that the work and the value of the work is what is relevant, not who is doing it.”

He said the union had built strong relationships with TCN workers and would continue supporting them.

Meanwhile, TCN community leader Manav Sanger also opposed strike action, urging a peaceful response.

Speaking in his personal capacity, Sanger said he did not believe striking would achieve anything because “everyone knows the measures will not change.”

Instead, he encouraged members of the community to participate in a blood donation drive being organised with community police on November 8.