The article “New 10-day paternity leave plan shot down” (January 26) describes a proposed EU directive, through which men will benefit from an extra 10 days of paternity leave, as a new work-life balance.

I speak both as an employee and an employer.

As an employee, I enjoyed a very good salary plus overtime. A salary so good it would bankrupt other employers. The reason why our company did so well was mainly because it enjoyed a monopoly on all cargo handling (import and export). At the same time, together with two partners of mine, we managed to open a pizzeria/restaurant in Valletta. The sales were reasonably good, so the employees enjoyed a decent salary. However, during the best days of business, which fell over the weekend, employees would either call saying they were sick or that their mother was dying and so on.

An extra 10 days of paternity leave would only wreck enterprises, especially those employing just one or two workers.

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