It was no surprise for the trade unions to come out so strongly against a proposal by the Malta Employers’ Association to consider the first day of sick leave as an unpaid waiting day, as happens in some other countries.
Losing no time to weigh in, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, now enjoying a free hand in local politics in light of the Nationalist Party’s travails, immediately branded the proposal a non-starter, meaning there is very little hope for employers to make any inroads, at least in the immediate future.
In truth, though, there has, so far, been more emotional talk in the outright dismissal of the proposal than common sense or, at least, a willingness to hear the other side. Employers rarely attract sympathy, even when what they say makes sense in the context of the industries in which they operate.
On the issue of whether the first day of sick leave ought to be paid or not, most would consider the proposal, one of many made for the government to consider in the drafting of the Budget for next year, ill-conceived considering that the country’s economy is passing through a boom, with unemployment down and growth at an average higher than that in the European Union.
Yet, although unions do have a point, the employers’ standpoint should not to be dismissed out of hand. What ought to be attacked is not any part of the sick leave entitlement but the rampant abuse taking place today. The employers ought to have focused on this first, within the context of other proposals, such as the planned re-introduction of entitlement to additional days for public holidays falling on weekends, rather than on their proposal to consider the first day of sick leave as a waiting day.
The abuse taking place in sick leave entitlement is staggering, with an official estimate of the cost to employers once given at over €37 million. Since no trade union worth its salt is likely to accept abuse, the way forward ought to be a rational approach to the matter rather than wasting time in unnecessary polemics.
Of all the bodies that expressed an opinion on the issue, the trade union confederation Forum at least showed there is more to it than controversy. Well to the point, it said it was ready to engage in talks to introduce measures that helped cut sick leave abuse without negatively affecting those workers who genuinely fell sick.
Ideally, the exercise should be extended to cover any other benefits the government plans to introduce, such as paternal leave. Again, rather than rashly branding the sick leave proposal as a non-starter, the employers’ concern and the government’s intentions over other matters ought to be brought to the table for discussion to find the right answers and solutions to any problems.
It is unfortunate that of the many pre-Budget proposals, it is the sick leave suggestion that is stealing the limelight. The employers made a number of relevant suggestions, such as, for example, the setting up of a think tank on Brexit though the government has just set up a Malta-UK business promotion task force.
The employers’ concern over the impact the possible legalisation of marijuana will have on the workplace also deserves to be thoroughly investigated.