Maternity leave not just a matter of pounds and shillings – Equality Commission

The National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) has said maternity leave should be increased from the current 14 weeks to 18 “through an adequate implementation period.”

The commissioner was reacting to the study by the Malta Business Bureau (MBB) that analysed the economic impact of an extended paid maternity leave of 20 weeks as proposed by the EU.

The MBB claims the 20-week maternity leave would potentially cost the economy €7.5 million worth of value added in a year, and €5.3 million a year for business. The bureau added that introducing two weeks of paternity leave would cost the economy an additional €4.8 million a year and €3.7 million annually for business – in total €12 million every year.

“NCPE deems that the economic implications of such measures cannot be taken in isolation,” the commission said in a statement.

The NCPE said that any future maternity leave entitlement would not be utilised “as a deterrent in establishing employability and wages of individuals… it would be unlawful to consider family responsibilities as a determining factor in recruitment and employment, given that this is already safeguarded through current gender national legislation, and that respective discriminatory practices may also be investigated by NCPE.”

The NCPE said the social impact of such measures needs be taken into account for the benefit of both the family and society. “This is important especially in light of a decreasing birth rate, and other challenges related to the family. Besides, studies also demonstrate that flexible working arrangements boost productivity and enhance employee satisfaction, hence strengthening accessibility for such family-friendly measures is a dire need.”

Currently, the maternity leave measure entitles full-time women employees for 14 weeks of paid leave, of which six weeks are to be availed of compulsorily after confinement. On the other hand, fathers working in the public administration are entitled to paternity leave consisting of two working days paid leave, to be taken within 15 days on the occasion of the birth of their child.

There is also the possibility for parents, including adoptive parents, to request parental leave to take care of each of their children under the age of eight.

“In effect, parents working in the public administration can avail themselves of one year unpaid leave, and parents within the private sector can avail themselves of three months unpaid parental leave each (non-transferable). Further measures may exist depending on respective organisation collective agreements and working arrangements,” the NCPE said.

“The purpose of the extension of maternity leave is to enhance the health and safety of pregnant women, women who have recently given birth, as well as their babies. In light of this discussion it is important to also clarify the distinction between maternity leave and other leave provisions.

“Parental leave is important since it safeguards the accessibility for parents to equality of opportunity, and their active participation in family life and responsibilities, as well as in employment. Indeed, parental leave facilitates the reconciliation of professional and private lives for parents. Work-life balance is essential in order to secure the opportunity to parents to actively care for their children or other dependant family members,” the NCPE said.

The commission added that maternity leave enhanced equality of opportunity to participate in employment, considering that the employment figure for women in Malta is about 38%.