The whole bill for maternity leave should be shifted from companies to the government in a transitional move taking a number of years, the Malta Employers’ Association has recommended.

The association said it supported the extension of maternity leave from the current 14 weeks to 18 weeks to help working mothers achieve a better balance, as proposed in the Budget.

Employers currently pay for the 14 weeks that mothers are entitled to so far. The government has undertaken to fund the four-week extension at a rate of €160 a week.

However, in a position paper issued yesterday, the MEA went further. It proposed that the government should shoulder the cost of another two weeks in the first year of the measure’s introduction and a further two weeks in the second year.

After that, the association expects employers to be presented with a plan which aims to shift the burden of maternity leave completely on the government.

On top of this, the MEA asked for a commitment by the government to pay for any future Brussels-imposed measures, such as paternity leave.

The association also recommended that mothers be obliged to work with the company for one year after the completion of maternity leave. At the moment mothers are bound to stay on for six months.

It also wants the effectiveness of the measure to be tracked.