An online application form for the reimbursement of maternity leave contributions has been made available to all employers who have paid into the maternity fund.

Employers had so far been left in the dark as to when they would be getting their refunds, with no information on what system would be in place, even though the fund was officially launched in July last year.

The Maternity Leave Trust Fund Board said yesterday that the application form that employers needed to receive the reimbursement was finally available online.

“The process has taken longer than anticipated, since the system had to be created in its entirety and a multitude of concerns needed to be addressed in order for the system to function fairly and accurately for the benefit of all the stakeholders,” the board said.

All employers who paid the maternity leave contribution after July 6, 2015, qualify for the refund

Earlier this year, this newspaper reported that employers had complained that while they had been paying into the fund for a year, they had yet to receive any of the refunds.

According to the board, the refunds will be paid every four months but the first batch would be issued “as soon as possible”.

The board said that all employers who paid the maternity leave contribution after July 6, 2015, qualified for the refund. This would include the payment of the gross basic wage, pro-rata statutory bonuses and allowances, as well as the employer’s portion of the employee’s social security contributions paid during the 14 weeks of maternity leave.

The fund was set up by the government in an attempt to end gender discrimination.

Employers across the board contribute the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of the basic pay for every employee, irrespective of their gender, to build up the fund. They are then to be refunded the wages paid to any employee who takes the 14-week maternity leave.

Welcoming the announcement, Malta Employers’ Association director general Joe Farrugia told this newspaper that a number of employers had already started to submit applications. While the association had no information on when the refunds would be issued, Mr Farrugia said that he hoped these would be made available “in the coming days”.

More information is available on 2590 3585 or 2590 3586.