The Malta Employers Association said today that while Maternity Leave should be extended to 18 weeks from the current 14 weeks, as proposed in the Budget, the government should bear the costs of 10 of those weeks, and workers who take such leave should be required to commit themselves to return to work and remain in their employment for a year.   

The MEA said it is proposing that in the interest of helping working mothers achieve a better work life balance, the maternity leave should be extended to eighteen weeks as announced in the budget.

It is also proposing that besides the payment for the additional four weeks of maternity leave, the government would also undertake to pay weeks 12 and 13, in the first year, and weeks 10, 11, 12 and 13 in the second year when the total maternity leave will be of 18 weeks.

It said that any additional weeks of maternity leave should be voluntary and the employee may opt to return to work if she wishes, 'and if the employer accepts'. In such cases, the employer has to be notified before the beginning of the maternity leave.

"The Government should commit itself to retain the obligation of the employee to return to work with her employer after the period of maternity leave. It is recommended to extend this period to a year. If this is removed by imposition from the EU, then the burden of all maternity leave payments will no longer be the responsibility of employers and will be immediately passed on to government."

The association said employers should be presented with a plan to completely phase out the burden of paid maternity leave on companies over a number of years.

The right to accumulation of sick leave, vacation leave and injury leave during maternity leave should be removed, it insisted.

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said in the Budget speech that the government is proposing to extend maternity leave by two weeks next year and another two weeks in 2013. The issue will be presented for discussion at the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, the prime minister said the first extension will come into force on January 1, and what the MCESD will do will be to discuss its implementation.

The MEA did not say how much the governemnt should pay employees during maternity leave. In the budget speech, the finance minister spoke of a flat rate of €160 per week.

See the MEA's position paper in full by clicking on the pdf below.