Unauthorised absence from work should be treated as unpaid leave, employers say as UHM tells workers to work from home if nobody can keep children
The Malta Employers’ Association has issued a directive to its members instructing them to treat any absence from work which has not been authorised by the employer, as unpaid leave.
The directive comes after the UHM directed its own members to work from home if they are in a situation where they need to take care of their children given that schools and child centres will open physically a week later than expected.
The UHM said that employees should work from home, or if they are unable to do so due to the nature of their work be assigned alternative duties which they can do from home, if they have children registered at child care centres, children up to the age of 12 registered in Club 3 to 16, children of up to 12 years who will follow online learning on Thursday and Friday, or children with disabilities who are dependent on their parents.
The UHM said that their directives will remain as long as centres and schools are physically closed, but will not apply if their parent is able to look after the child in question.
The MEA however clapped back at the directives, stating that it is the prerogative of the employer to decide whether its employees should work remotely or not.
In a response of their own meanwhile, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry reminded unions that their counterparts in social dialogue on behalf of their members employed by the private sector are employers and employer bodies, not Government.
The Chamber said that for the past two years there has been close cooperation between employers and their employees, whether unionised or otherwise. This collaboration has enabled so many to work from home, to adopt more flexible working hours, and to absent themselves from work at short notice for all sorts of reasons, ranging from quarantines to school closures.
“Solutions must be found on the basis of dialogue and not through the issue of unilateral directives. This approach is uncalled for,” it said.
The Chamber invited unions to join employer bodies in the call to be extremely judicious in determining the appropriate duration of preventive quarantine periods, particularly when employees are fully vaccinated. This will ensure that disruptions to schools and workplaces are kept to a minimum, it said.
“Where particular circumstances necessitate that children under 12 are kept at home, arrangements need to be made by the parents on a case-by-case basis, with their respective employers, as has happened countless times in the past two years.”
The Chamber also appealed to the education authorities and unions representing educators to find workable solutions that, apart from minimising disruption in workplaces, prioritise the proper education of children which is of paramount importance.
“There is broad consensus that online schooling can never substitute face-to-face learning. We have to acknowledge that the current generation of students has already accumulated significant educational deficit over the last two years as a result of online schooling. The Malta Chamber reiterates that every effort is expected from all concerned so that students can return to school and resume proper education at the earliest possible,” the statement ends.