Friday, 5th September 2008 - 12:47CET

AD welcomes maternity leave proposals

Alternattiva Demokratika said today that it welcomed a proposal by EU Employment Commissioner Vladimír Špidla for an EU directive to increase maternity leave from the current 14 weeks to 18 weeks in all the countries of the EU.

Arnold Cassola, Alternattiva Demokratika chairman, said such an increase in maternity leave had also been proposed in the AD electoral programme.

Mary Anne Zammit, AD spokesman on health and social protection said that longer maternity leave would have positive effects on children and their development, by allowing them to spend more quality time with their parents. Also, women would be given the opportunity to remain in active employment by keeping their jobs and careers and involving themselves in every aspect of society.

"AD believes in family friendly measures through which work-life balance and people's quality of life is improved. The next budget should give improtance to such measures," she said.

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Comments

Malcolm Seychell (on 5/9/08)

AD keep amazing me by the day.

Of course the principle is good, but as usual they don't take into consideration other problems that will arise.

For the private sector it is impossible to keep on increasing expenses.

No wonder many companies are simply closing down and go work from Asia, Russia or the US.

If the EU will continue in this socialist mentally it will collapse in the next few decades.

Paul Barrett (on 5/9/08)

@ David Buttigieg
You are absolutely right - The more "equal rights" are sought, the more privileges are sought and the more unemployable women become.
No doubt somewhere in the small print it will have that the father of the child can have time off instead of the mother.
The next move will be to propose that the 18 weeks should be 18 months LOL.

Charles Camilleri (on 5/9/08)

These benefits plus others are only enjoyed by Government employees because there is always the taxpayer to provide the money. Many private enterprises cannot afford these luxuries and would do all they can to avoid these expenses. So in the long run these measures would have a counter effect. Less employment by the private sector.

Carl Pol (on 5/9/08)

Mothers in Sweden have 18 months paid leave and there are no problems of employment for women!!!! The problem is benchmarking. Social contributions should be in a fund to sustain social spending.

David Buttigieg (on 5/9/08)

This will decrease a woman's chance of getting employed. People will be more wary about employing someone they will have to pay 18 weeks leave for!

E Serracino-Inglott (on 5/9/08)

Of course, this sounds very good, but I wonder how small enterprises will be able to afford to continue to pay the woman's wages, whilst also having to find a suitable replacement for the duration of the maternity leave. Double costs for a longer period...