The government agreed with the principle of having 20 weeks maternity leave, as approved in an EU resolution, but wanted to ensure there was a level playfield across different countries, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.
According to Maltese law, mothers were entitled to 14 weeks maternity leave on full pay whereas other countries granted minimum wage or different salary percentages during the leave period, he said during a Nationalist Party activity in Ħamrun.
“We are in favour of any measures that would help parents better balance work and family. However, we must make sure we (EU countries) are speaking on the same level,” Dr Gonzi said as he cautioned against simple comparisons.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved a resolution aimed at increasing maternity leave in the EU to a minimum of 20 weeks and giving fathers two weeks off. The resolution would have to be approved at Council level to come into effect.
If adopted, maternity leave in Malta will increase by six weeks from the present 14 weeks while fathers will become entitled to two weeks of fully paid paternity leave as opposed to just two days.
This would be a financial burden to employers who are insisting the government foots part of the leave expenses. Over the past days, employers’ associations expressed concern on the impact the leave extension would have on businesses, with the Malta Business Bureau quoting a study saying it would raise Malta’s bill by €12 million a year.
Employers also argued the extension would backfire against women who would have to compete for the same jobs as male employees or older women.
Women’s organisations, disagreed with this reasoning but backed the employers’ call for the government to share the financial burden. The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations said studies showed women who were given longer maternity leave were more likely to return to work because they were given more time to sort themselves out.
Dr Gonzi pointed out yesterday that in the past two and half years the government had given women various incentives to return to work after having their children.
He stressed on the importance given to the social sector adding the government invested heavily in health education and social sectors and focused on ensuring the country remained competitive and jobs were safeguarded.
The Budget 2011, he said, would continue consolidating public funds while strengthening economic growth and investing in education, workers, the environment, health and the social sector to improve the position of those most in need.
Finance Minister Tonio Fenech also spoke about the government’s commitment to the social sector adding the Budget would ensure the country remained on solid ground.
The government’s duty was to ensure that what it gave – in terms of pensions, for example – was given out of economic stability and would not be taken back in future. This Budget would aim to do that, he said, stressing the importance of strengthening the country’s competitiveness and productivity.
“If we are not responsible today our children will have to face the consequences tomorrow,” Mr Fenech said.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Mario de Marco spoke about tourism’s important role in injecting money into the government’s coffers from where it could then be used to implement social policy.