Government asked to fund increase in maternity leave

Employers and women’s organisations are insisting the government should shoulder part of the financial burden that would come with the extension of parental leave.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved a resolution aimed at increasing maternity leave in the EU to a minimum of 20 weeks and giving fathers two weeks off.

If adopted, maternity leave in Malta will increase by six weeks from 14 while fathers will become entitled to two weeks of fully paid paternity leave as opposed to just two days.

This will be a financial burden to employers who are insisting government foots part of the expense.

When asked whether the state would consider chipping in, a government spokesman said: “This is not an issue of who should pay for it but of what might be suitable in today’s situation.”

Asked whether Malta would be backing the resolution, when it goes before the EU Council for the final seal, the spokesman said: “Malta has always held that any solution... should seek to place each member state on the same footing... Malta has always said that, given the current economic situation, we must be very careful with measures that increase the burden on employers and government funds. Malta will retain this position in Council.”

According to a study compiled by the Malta Business Bureau earlier this year, the increased parental leave could raise Malta’s bill by €12 million a year. This estimate was later shot down by Labour MEP Edward Scicluna, an economist, who said the extension would cost about €5 million.

The Malta Employers’ Association insisted yesterday the maternity leave burden should be transferred onto the government.

“The decision made by the European Parliament is yet another demonstration that MEPs are detached from the realities of the business world and are adding further burdens to employers in time of severe global competition.

“This situation is even worse in Malta, where, unlike the rest of Europe, maternity leave is settled by the employer at full pay,” it said.

Increased maternity leave, the MEA added, would backfire against women who would have to compete for the same jobs as male employees or older women.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and the Malta Business Bureau agreed with this, adding that the resolution would widen the gender wage gap and reinforce the glass ceiling phenomenon.

They agreed the EP’s vote was a severe blow to business and would seriously threaten EU competitiveness.

“In addition, the difficulties in Malta will be felt more acutely because systems of temporary workers agencies and childcare facilities are not fully developed,” the chamber said.

The executive director of the National Council for the Promotion of Equality, Romina Bartolo said the extension of maternity leave was aimed to enhance the health and safety of pregnant women, those who had recently given birth and their babies.

Existing laws and potential future maternity leave entitlement should not be used as a deterrent in establishing employability and wages of individuals.

“It would be unlawful to consider gender or family responsibilities as a determining factor in recruitment and employment, given that this is already safeguarded through current gender national legislation,” she said.

Anna Borg, who chairs the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations, said her organisation had always lobbied with MEPs to approve the measure.

She disagreed it would work against women adding that studies showed women who were given longer maternity leave were more likely to return to work as they were given more time to sort themselves out.

Ms Borg added the confederation believed the burden should not fall solely on employers and the government had to chip in.

“The government should see this as an investment and not a cost,” she said, adding that, after all, Malta had one of the lowest birth rates and rates of women in employment.

Apart from the fact that it increased maternity leave for women, she said, the resolution also did the same for fathers, encouraging them to take up an important role in the family.

The EP vote was also welcomed by the Labour Party that urged the government to invest in women and by Alternattiva Demokratika deeming the decision as a move that would help tackle the growing strains on the family.

During Wednesday’s vote, the three Labour MEPs backed the provisions while the two Nationalist MEPs voted against an extension of maternity leave to 20 weeks as they preferred this to rise by four weeks, to 18, as originally proposed by the European Commission.

The resolution will only go through if it gains the consent of member states by qualified majority, which means it not only has to have the backing of the majority of states but also of the majority in terms of population.

Large member states, headed by the UK and France, have already declared their opposition and said they would campaign to defeat the resolution when it arrived at EU Council level.