ESPN thematic report on retirement regimes for workers in arduous or hazardous jobs - Malta

Abstract

Malta does not have a legal definition governing persons working in an arduous or hazardous job. Instead, the term ‘manual worker’ is often used in popular speech. This covers a wide range of occupations, not all of which necessarily fall into the category of arduous or hazardous jobs. However, when speaking about arduous and hazardous jobs, in the popular mind this is typically linked to workers engaged first and foremost in the quarrying and construction industries. In Malta, there are no special or specific provisions for pensions for workers in arduous and/or hazardous jobs (WAHJ), and the general provisions also apply to them. In fact, the state pensions make no special provision for the early exit of such workers from the labour force, and offer them no preferential treatment. When the retirement age was increased, a specific recommendation by the Pensions Working Group was initially intended for persons engaged in some sectors of manual work (such as quarrying and construction), in order to allow them earlier exit from the labour market. However, this recommendation was not applied narrowly (as was the intention), and it has since been applied to the whole of the workforce. As a result, the measure has effectively become a generally applicable early exit route for everyone from work into retirement.