Ivan Camilleri, Brussels
Maltese benefit from several holidays... but they still work hard
The Maltese have the second highest number of annual holidays in the EU, but spend longer hours at work than the European average, according to a study published in Brussels.
The study shows that together with Denmark, Maltese workers last year enjoyed 37 days of holidays. Combining annual leave and public holidays (a total of 296 hours a year), Malta ranked second in the EU, surpassed only by German workers who enjoyed 301.6 annual hours of holidays. Denmark and Italy ranked third and fourth.
The study was carried out by the EU’s working conditions agency – Eurofound in 2010.
Ironically, despite the high number of holidays, Germany and Denmark are considered to have two of the strongest economies in the EU. On the other hand, Malta still lags behind the EU GDP average, while Italy is engulfed with massive debts.
On the other side of the rankings, the member states whose working population enjoyed the least holidays last year were the Romanians with just 27 days of combined leave. The combined leave in the EU last year amounted to 34.4 days.
The study also compares other aspects of working conditions among the 27 member states.
With regard to the ‘normal’ statutory working week, Maltese workers are among the highest ranking, with a 40-hour working week considered to be the minimum. This is higher than the EU average of 38 hours in 2010, with the shortest average working week being reported in France with 35.6 hours.
Significant differences also exist where vacation leave and public holidays are concerned.
The average total of annual vacation leave enjoyed by EU workers last year stood at 24.8 days, higher than Malta’s 24 days. German workers had the most, 30 days of statutory annual leave, while the lowest levels of annual leave are granted in Belgium, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovenia, all with a maximum of 20 working days of leave.
But Malta makes up for the shortfall with public holidays. Malta had 13 days of public holidays last year, surpassed only by Spain, which had 14 days.
The EU’s average of public holidays last year stood at 9.6 days, with the Dutch having the least – five days.
Malta is also the only EU member state with five national holidays.
Yet, when combining everything together (annual leave, public holidays, working week), the report showed Maltese workers last year spent 1,784 hours at their workplaces – more than the EU average of 1,714.9 hours.
Romanian, Polish and Bulgarian workers were by far the hardest workers in the EU in 2010. On the other hand, workers in France, Denmark and Germany spent the least time working. Overall, Maltese workers ranked 11th among the 27 member states.
Popular Stories
Update 3: Woman found dead in car,...
Updated: Woman dies in car crash
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Part of Dwejra 'Azure window' collapses
The end of the bar that ‘never closed’
Bundy does not know whether to...
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
This WAS the night - Kurt makes it...
'No need for early election if PM's...
In Discussion
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
Gozo tunnel could take 5-7 years to...
CABS remote controlled aircraft shot...
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Joseph Calleja condemns portrayal of...
Updated: Labour would give...
CABS drone shot down
Second group of migrants arrives
Adrian Vassallo in scathing...
15 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Glenn Zammit
Jul 31st 2011, 16:32
Diga hadulna il holidays li jaqaw is sibt din jonqos ukoll jitnaqsulna l leave. jin fejn nahdem namel 45 siegha fil gimgha. al disgha xhur shah min ottubru sa gunju meta il flow tat traffic ikun intensiv irrid nitlaq mid dar fis 7 neqsin kwart ta filodu bix nasal fil hin l ufficju u meta nispicca fil 5 andi 45 minuta ohra stagnat fit traffic mil imsida ghal fgura. mela jien inqatta nofs il gurnata prattikament ix xol zid 6 sieghat irqad. mela mit tnejn sal gimgha jien kull ma ngawdija l gurnata min 4 sa 6 sieghat. U dan bix ma nevalwawx ukoll il pagi aghna fil pajjizi ewropej huma medium low.
Mr carlos ellul
Jul 31st 2011, 16:30
Have they taken in consideration the fact that all the holidays that fell in weekends are not considered as holidays anymore?
Mr Peter Korsten
Jul 31st 2011, 18:50
The custom of giving extra free days for public or national holidays that fell in the weekend was quite distinctly Maltese. In the Netherlands, if Christmas falls in a weekend, it means two free days less.
Malta is near the top when it comes to public and national holidays, and must be the only country in the world to celebrate no less than five national holidays.
Mr john vella
Jul 31st 2011, 15:06
What is all the non sense?
Why generalize? why we are all put in one basket?
The fact of the matter being an ex private sector employee all my life. I am disgusted to go in some places and see employees playing games on the computer during working hours, or after waiting for an hour to be called I find two instead, one receptionist with coffee and biscuits and the other keeping him company talking. I will not say in a Government Department so I will not offend anyone.
Some have holiday benefits even while killing time at work.
Ask the private sector if he will look forward for a brake!
Mr Peter Korsten
Jul 31st 2011, 11:20
"The EU’s average of public holidays last year stood at 9.6 days, with the Dutch having the least – five days."
Yeah, tell me about it, although the above claim is not entirely correct. There's New Year's Day, Good Friday, first and second day of Easter (but the first is always a Sunday), Ascension Day, first and second day of Pentacost (but the first is always a Sunday), and two days for Christmas. Then there's Queen's Day (30th April), but on the national holiday, Liberation Day (5th of May), you still have to work (unless otherwise stated in a collective labour agreement).
So depending on how New Year's Day, Queen's Day and Christmas fall on days of the week, the Dutch have between 5 and 8 days of leave on top of their annual 24, or more if this is agreed in a collective labour agreement. Most of those holidays, though, are in the months of March and April, so indeed, from the months of May to end of December, you don't get any holidays. Must be the Calvinists.
Timothy Cachia
Jul 31st 2011, 10:49
I agree... this is just one item in a vast specturm related to the life of a Maltese citizen.
Cost of living is on the increase, and pays are just frozen with very very minor changes. There is no balance between cost of living increase and wages. If the government thinks that the excuse for an incease mentioned in the last buget really reflects the cost of living increase then they are truly clowns. We have to work longer hours to be able to sustain a family, since we did get an extra 500 euros.
Charles Micallef
Jul 31st 2011, 10:16
This this goes for the pensioners, the sick and the infirm as well?
Mr SILVIO BONAVIA
Jul 31st 2011, 09:57
Malta is the one that has the lowest wages compared to other EU countries.And the daily expenses are going higher and higher each day.
Mr Denis Pace
Jul 31st 2011, 10:17
Pero qeghdin l-ewwel fil-FESTI.....
Mr Peter Korsten
Jul 31st 2011, 10:58
Rubbish. The income in Malta is higher than in most eastern European EU-countries, particularly Romania and Bulgaria.
Mr C Cassar
Jul 31st 2011, 16:53
Income is also significantly higher than in Latvia, Lithuana and Estonia.
The Maltese have it very well for what they actually cointribute.
Mr carlos ellul
Aug 1st 2011, 07:12
So now we should compare ourselves with former communist Romania and Latvia. Thank god that Somalia is not in the EU then...
Mr Andrei Azzopardi
Jul 31st 2011, 08:57
Maltese HAVE to spend more time at work due to low wage rates...
Mr Denis Pace
Jul 31st 2011, 10:18
Low wages are all over Europe ;;;depends on what work you do. There are also good wages in Malta...for value-added occupation
Mr Tony Camilleri
Jul 31st 2011, 14:16
And mostly doing precarious part-time work