Four employer lobby groups have clubbed together to say the government must offer them "real compensation" as part of its promise to compensate workers for public holidays that fall on weekends. 

In a statement, the GRTU, Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, Malta Employers Association and MHRA said they had aired their concerns in separate meetings with minister Helena Dalli over the past days. 

"WBy definition, when there are four public holidays that fall on a weekend, the latter measure will cost employers around 2% of their total wage bill," the employer bodies said in a statement.   

READ: Not if, but when and how: Helena Dalli reiterates public holiday pledge

"This figure will rise to around 3 per cent or more in certain sectors, if the lost days are compensated for by overtime at a rate of 1.5 or at double rate," they added. 

Dr Dalli yesterday made it clear that the electoral promise was set in stone, saying the question was not whether it would be honoured, but rather how and when. 

Those words have employers worried, and in their statement they said that while they were in favour of family-friendly measures, they needed options that went "well beyond" what the government was proposing if they were to agree to the proposal. 

They called on the government to grant companies "real compensation to protect competitiveness" and to ensure the public holiday measure remained cost neutral. 

"Malta’s current growth must not be taken for granted. Once additional benefits are granted to workers, they will be considered irrevocable irrespective of an economic slowdown which may threaten jobs," the four lobby groups said.