EP women's rights committee approves longer maternity leave

Malta will have to amend its maternity leave legislation to grant expectant mothers six extra weeks of fully-paid maternity leave and two more weeks to fathers if MEPs back a report approved by the European Parliament's Women's Rights Committee yesterday.

The minimum maternity leave allowed by the EU at the moment is 14 weeks and Malta sticks to this minimum. The situation in other member states varies and a substantial number already offer more than the minimum.

The committee's recommendations have to be endorsed by the EP's plenary session in a vote scheduled for next month. The EP already refused a similar report by the same committee last year, but this time there appears to be more agreement on the issue.

"Last time, the vote was taken just before the EP elections and it was very difficult for the political groups to unite.

"With no election looming on the horizon, the situation might change in March," an EP official said yesterday.

Although business generally opposes an increase in maternity leave, primarily due to the financial repercussions, MEPs seem to be more oriented towards the needs of their constituents in what can also be a popular political exercise.

Malta has not yet taken an official stand on the issue although it had already expressed concerns when the proposed directive was first discussed last year.

Then Social Policy Minister John Dalli had warned counterparts that, although Malta was in favour of increased support for women to reconcile work and family life balance, the proposal might have negative repercussions particularly on SMEs.

On the other hand, Malta's business community recently declared it was totally against granting more maternity leave.

According to the text penned by Socialist MEP Edite Estrela, now endorsed by the EP committee, the minimum maternity leave in the EU will be extended to 20 weeks from 14, six weeks of which would be taken after childbirth.

Employees on maternity leave must be paid their full wage, which must be 100 per cent of their last monthly salary or their average monthly salary. The committee also agreed member states must give fathers the right to fully-paid paternity leave of at least two weeks within the period of maternity leave.

This legislation should also apply to parents who adopt a child younger than 12 months.

Fully-paid additional maternity leave should be granted in specific situations such as premature childbirth, children with disabilities, mothers with disabilities, teenage mothers, multiple birth and births occurring within 18 months of each other.

The proposal ensures stronger protection against dismissal and a right to return to the same job, or an equivalent one, after maternity leave.

Women will have the right to ask the employer for flexible working patterns after the end of maternity leave.With regard to self-employed women, the proposal suggests they should have equivalent access to maternity leave as employees but on a voluntary basis.

If the proposal goes through next month, it will still require the backing of a qualified majority of EU member states to become law.