The Nationalist Party’s head of delegation at the European Parliament, David Casa, has completed the first stage of his work on the work-life balance directive.

He is responsible for establishing the EP’s position on this file and will represent the Parliament in negotiations with the Council of Ministers.

The legislation seeks to introduce 10 days of paid leave for fathers on the occasion of the birth of a child, four months paid leave for each parent to be taken until the child reaches a certain age and five days of annual carer’s leave for those taking on caring responsibilities for dependents.

If this legislation is adopted it would constitute a drastic improvement to the rights of parents and have a tangible effect on the lives of Maltese citizens, Mr Casa said.

The aim of the proposal was to create a better balance in the uptake of caring responsibilities between men and women, increase women’s participation in labour market and address their unequal treatment and opportunities in the workplace. It also encouraged a stronger role for men as carers in the family, which would also benefit children.

“I am working to ensure that this legislation can be implemented as expediently as possible, while at the same inserting safeguards to ensure that businesses, and micro, small and medium enterprises in particular, will not be overly burdened by the obligations that this legislation will create,” he said.

The work-life balance directive is one of the first concrete deliverables of the European Pillar for Social Rights. It is based on the 'New Start' initiative aimed to address the work-life balance challenges faced by working parents and carers.

The initiative will help in the pursuit of the objectives set out in the Treaty of equality between men and women with regard to labour market opportunities and equal treatment at work and the promotion of high level of employment in the EU.