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This qualitative study seeks to explore the grounded realities of live-in care workers in Malta. The growing economic affluence in Malta, coupled by an ageing population and the lowest fertility rate in the European Union, is resulting in a greater demand for live-in care givers, particularly from the Philippines. Reinforced through public policy wherein families who employ a qualified live-in carer are benefiting from government subsidy to ease burden on the state’s residential homes, Malta appears to be moving from a passive to a more active international recruitment of domestic migrant workers. This inquiry provides an evidence-based contribution to the appeal of the European Economic and Social Committee of the EU calling for more research about the rights of live-in care workers in Europe which has long remained almost invisible to EU and Member State policymakers. The majority of the findings reflect some of the concerns that have already been identified in international literature, like higher levels of precariousness, contractual agreements not being honoured, psychological obligations, fraudulent agents and the lack of separation between work and personal life. Other findings have endogenous characteristics that are closely linked to the island state of Malta, namely its safe environment, Catholic culture, bilingual coexistence of Maltese and English and the competitive nature of Filipino community groups that may discourage further social engagement. The chapter concludes with brief policy suggestions to trigger improvements in the wellbeing and dignity of migrant carers.

Malta is experiencing a strong economic growth which is attracting increasing numbers of foreign workers. This study investigates the working conditions experienced by Filipinos in Malta, the largest group of migrants from outside the European Union. Survey data collected from a sample of 317 Filipino workers was compared to the results of the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey. While most respondents experience positive work outcomes, a significant minority grapples with negative conditions and perceptions. Overall, the Filipino respondents in Malta appear to face more difficult working conditions than other migrants in Europe. Nearly half of the respondents report that their health or safety is at risk because of their work and over a fourth suffered from discrimination during the year leading to the research. A substantial minority of Filipinos work below their skill levels and more than 40 hours per week. About a third of the respondents are not satisfied with their working conditions, claim not to be treated fairly at work and do not find sufficient help and support from their managers and colleagues. This study indicates the need to take into consideration the realities of both the home and host countries when analyzing the working situation of migrants. It highlights the employment vulnerability of migrant Filipino workers in Malta, and points to an apparent structural deficiency in the Maltese society to protect them., peer-reviewed

This chapter outlines the changing scenarios of the two small states under study. Malta and Ireland present interesting case studies on how Europeanization can be accommodated within existent territorial politics signaled by the distinctive features of smallness, islandness, and periphery. Primarily, the chapter has two major sections involving two parallel narratives elucidating the Maltese and Irish identities and the series of transformations they have gone through, particularly, over the last five decades. In particular, it tries to explore the narratives from the perspective of a contemporary state-society relationship. This is in line with the school of institutionalist thought, which, according to Schmidt (2006: 98), is characterized by its emphasis on the institutional terrain where political events occur and for the outcomes and effects they generate. The major aim is to lay out the political landscape where state and non-state actors are involved in the act of governance. Decoding the various elements that constitute the terrain through which political actions sprout and spread is the first step in understanding how and why interest groups in small island polities behave and act in specific ways. Furthermore, as Olsen (2002) maintains, the impact of the EU on territorial politics is classified as one of the many faces of Europeanization. The discussion in this chapter stimulates the presentation and analysis of primary data in the next three chapters generated through fieldwork in Valletta, Dublin and Brussels.

Following the presentation of results concerning trade unions and employers’ associations in the previous chapter, the next logical step is to deal with the remaining case studies. More specifically, this chapter will uncover any signs of continuity and change among Social, Human rights and Environmental Groups (SHEGs) in Malta and Ireland. Because of the small number of research subjects, the two sectoral groups, that is, social/human rights and environmental, have been compounded for statistical analysis while kept separate in terms of their qualitative narratives.

This chapter presents a number of features that exhibit the dual existence of continuity and change among trade unions and employers’ associations in Malta and Ireland through the unveiling of major qualitative and statistical findings. Together with representatives of social partners, there are also heads of state mediating organizations, chiefs of think tanks, and political observers who took part in the interviewing part, whereas only registered unions and employers’ associations participated in the questionnaire.