Maternity leave extension proposal should be supported - NCW

The proposal for a directive on the introduction of measures to extend maternity leave by four weeks was a crucial matter that merited careful consideration, the National Council of Women said.

The council said this was a health and safety issue and a basic family-friendly matter.

The NCW was very concerned at the Malta business community’s position against this extension, as it reflected a lack of will to seek adequate solutions.

“This initiative is an opportunity to strengthen legislation that not only enables women to recover adequately following confinement, but also encourages them to breastfeed and helps them to forge a strong bond with their newborn child.

“Giving the extra four weeks to working mothers who have just given birth means that they can breastfeed in a decent, calm and healthy environment - at home - for at least 18 weeks, which is six weeks short of the 24 weeks that the Social Platform, the European Women's Lobby, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, were recommending, based on the benefits for children to be exclusively breastfed during their first six months of life, as a health prevention measure for both mother and child.

This measure would encourage mothers and fathers to have more and healthier children, addressing the negative impact of demographic changes.

Rather than penalising women for motherhood, the directive would express gratitude to mothers for giving birth, nurturing babies and ensuring their physical and emotional well being.

The National Council of Women is fully aware of the impact of the recession on business but believed women should not bear the brunt of this.

NCW and unions sought adequate solutions believing in a win-win outcome.

One such proposal was the gradual introduction of one extra week per year for four years.

Businesses should also be urging the government to speed up a legal framework for temping agencies, negotiating measures to share costs and provide schemes and incentives through, for example, the Employment and Training Corporation, to support both SMEs and big business in the implementation phase

NCW was fully confident that the government’s commitment to the family at the centre of all national policies would again be reflected in its final position during the Council meeting on Monday.

The proposed directive would be again be debated in the EU Parliament before the end of the year and the NCW urged Maltese MEPs to lobby their respective political groups to vote in favour.