MEA cautious on maternity leave extension claims

The Employers’ Association said today that family friendly measures have to be sustainable and compatible with competitive parameters.

Reacting to claims that maternity leave in Malta was among the shortest in Europe and should be extended, the association said that selective statistics to portray a negative image of working conditions in Malta only served to distort the true state of affairs and could lead to mistaken policy decisions that would, ultimately work against the very interests of the segments they were intended to protect.

The MEA said Malta was in conformity with the EU requirement for a minimum of 14 weeks maternity leave.

“Although many countries do provide for a lengthier period of maternity leave than the minimum stipulated by the directive, however, unlike Malta, employers do not always have to pay the full wages for the duration. For example, in the UK, the employer pays 90% of former income for the first six weeks, plus a lump sum of €150 for the remaining period of maternity leave. This makes the cost of maternity leave less expensive to the employer than it is in Malta although the duration is longer.”

The association augured that the subject of family-friendly measures would be discussed in an objective way.