The government proved it is not prepared to support progressive policies when it opposed a European proposal to increase parental leave, Alternattiva Demokratika said yesterday.

“It’s a pity that once again the government has shown that protecting the private sector’s interests is more important than protecting the rights of workers,” party spokesman for social policy Angele Deguara said.

Ms Deguara pointed out that Malta has the EU’s lowest female participation rate in labour market and the lowest amount of maternity leave paid by the employer.

Instead of supporting measures which would give parents more time with their family and encourage more women to remain in the labour market, the government chose to bow to business pressure to the detriment of Maltese families, she said.

Party spokesman on EU Affairs Arnold Cassola said: “The opposition of most EU governments to the proposed increase in parental leave confirms the conservative dominance of current governments in the EU.”

However, the government was always one of the first to join the bandwagon when it comes to opposing progressive proposals from the European Commission, he added.

All member states, with the exception of Belgium and Portugal, have opposed European Commission plans to extend maternity leave by an extra six weeks, ruling out any possible compromise on this issue.