The Malta Employers’ Association is calling on the government for a reassurance that the state would fund any increase in labour costs related to a new directive on work-life balance.

A provisional agreement on the European Commission's proposal for the directive was reached a few days ago.

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Once the agreement is formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, states would provide added benefits to parents and carers to balance work and family responsibilities.

Fathers would benefit from 10 days paternity leave, there would be four months parental leave and an annual five days carer’s leave.

The association said that while it is not against family-friendly measures in principle, these benefits should not be added to the financial burden employers are already carrying through the payment of maternity leave and increased annual leave.

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This additional leave placed Malta among the countries with the highest number of annual leave days in the world, it said.

Employers - micro-businesses in particular - would already be faced with increased disruption and loss of productivity from increased absence from work due to these measures.

They could not be expected to also carry the cost of paying the salaries during those absences if Maltese enterprise was expected to remain competitive, the MEA said.