PRIVATEERS who abuse their workers will be blacklisted for up to two years from today in Malta.

Companies which breach employment law or regulations relating to public-sector contracts will now find themselves up in front of the commercial sanctions tribunal.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced the measure in March, arguing that “the small minority of employers who persist with abuse are being warned that we will keep up our resolve to combat precarious employment,” but it only comes into force today.

It would be “no joke” to be penalised by the new tribunal, which will consist of a three-person panel and answer to the Finance Ministry, the Labour Party leader said.

Firms falling foul of regulations or found to have underpaid or otherwise abused their workforces will be barred from bidding for any public-sector contracts for up to two years.

The step follows a requirement that outsourced workers are paid a minimum hourly rate equal to the basic rate of in-house staff which was brought in at the start of the year. It is part of a string of pro-worker reforms that include a landmark deal with the Malta Union of Teachers which will safeguard pay progression when teachers move between schools.

New inspectors have also been hired to perform onsite inspections to catch out rogue bosses with their hearts set on breaking the rules. And public procurement will no longer be decided solely on the basis of price, the government said, but will also take into account the quality of the service provided.