Trade unions slam employers’ ‘frivolous’ sick leave proposals

The Confederation of Malta Trade Unions (CMTU) expressed its surprise at the Malta Employers Association’s (MEA) to discuss its controversial proposals at the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) rather than at the Employment Relations Board level.

“CMTU is quite surprised that the MEA has chosen to call on MCESD for its launch of such proposals and not discuss them at Employment Relations Board level where exchange of views between Social Partners on changes to employment legislation are normally conducted,” the unions said.

Last week, The MEA argued that “self-inflicted unfitness for work” should not render an employee eligible for sick leave, even if the worker is certified unfit for work by his own doctor.

In its proposals to amendments to the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, the MEA said distinction has to be made between surgery for purely medical reasons and surgery for cosmetic reasons.

Moreover, while agreeing on the need to improve employment and Industrial Relations legislation the CMTU  said it “totally disagrees with the MEA’s ‘frivolous’ approach when commenting on sick leave and on what may verge on the illegal or on what is border line.”

The unions reiterated that they are “absolutely against abuse be it coming from an individual employee or be it collectively,” however they called on MEA to declare itself against employers’ “exploitation tactics which sometimes verge on illegal practices complemented by a serious lack of enforcement be it legislative or sometimes by the MEA itself when it is powerless when dealing with its own members.”

The confederation added that it would have been “much wiser” to discuss proposals on the Employment Relations Board which is also co chaired by the Director of Employment and Industrial Relations “allowing sensible and constructive debate prior to escalating it to any other level.”