[WATCH] Adoptive parents may soon receive maternity leave

Government consulting stakeholders on extending maternity leave to adoptive parents • Video by Ray Attard

The government was in talks to extend the current maternity leave fund to parents of adopted children, social dialogue minister Helena Dalli has confirmed.

Speaking at a press conference at Green Services Ltd, Dalli said that the maternity leave fund, was one of the many budgetary promises that had been achieved.

The maternity leave trust fund was set up earlier this year and allows employers to contribute the equivalent of 0.3% of the basic pay for every employee – irrespective of gender – to build up a fund from which the 14-week maternity leave will be paid.

Green Services Ltd was one of the companies who endorsed the scheme. 0.3% of its employees' basic weekly wages go towards this fund.

The fund, Dalli reminded, was set up to end discrimination where employers engaged men instead of women because they did not wish to pay maternity leave.

"The fund has been endorsed by many companies and several employers and unions have formed a board of trustees,” Dalli said.

Joint managing director Mary Gaerty said that the maternity leave fund was important even to bring Malta in line with foreign countries as leave is now provided by the state rather than individuals.

"Many women aren't employed because they are at child bearing age," she said adding that the contribution, however little, was effectively very important.