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Karl Schembri and Julian Manduca
The employee that Alfred Sant claimed was fired by the Polidano Group to make way for Chinese and Egyptians was sacked for disciplinary reasons MaltaToday is informed.
The employee, whose name is known to this newspaper, was sacked for wrongdoings and the Polidano group, in a gesture of goodwill, assisted him to be able to apply for unemployment benefits.
A spokesman for the Polidano Group has categorically denied that the company kicked out a Maltese employee to replace him with a foreigner, after leader of the Opposition Alfred Sant reiterated his claim made originally on live TV.
The Polidano spokesperson said: “While it is true that the group has been forced to legally employ foreigners over the years because Maltese are unwilling to work in the construction industry, we never kicked out any Maltese to offer the job to a foreigner.”
Alfred Sant had made his original claim on Xarabank in a debate with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. Sant had claimed that Maltese companies are kicking out Maltese to replace them with - it was implied - lower paid foreigners. He mentioned a case of a man who phone him that day and said he was kicked out to be replaced by Chinese and Egyptians. When Gonzi asked him to speak to him about the allegations after the programme, Sant blurted out: “Ic-Caqnu. At his vineyards.”
Subsequently, however, this newspaper was informed by the ETC that Sant told the corporation that since all employees had been ‘cleared’ there was no need for further investigation.
Monday, however, Sant wrote reiterating his allegations, which have been denied by Polidano.
Questions sent to the MLP secretariat, after contacting Alfred Sant’s personal secretary, by this newspaper remained unanswered.
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