The legal notice of the Work-Life Balance Directive which was announced by Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue Andy Ellul regarding the new amendments to the paternal and parental leaves was done in a rushed manner, and government opted to offer the bare minimum, Nationalist MEP David Casa said, adding that changes must be made.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Casa, who was the European Parliament's lead negotiator of the Work-Life Balance Directive, said that he was disappointed in the way the Maltese government had implemented the law, namely in the amount of leave days given to fathers, as well as the minimum rate at which the parental leave will be given.

Casa also said that the amendments to the laws were done without real consultation with the appropriate stakeholders and social partners, and that government left it to the last minute because Malta was obligated as an EU Member State to transpose the measures into law by 2 August this year.

He also raised issue over the fact that government had announced that the private sector will be involved in financing these measures, rather than the state financing all of it.

“The legal notice is raising a number of questions and disappointments, as parents will still have to work out which of them should take the parental leave according to how much they are paid,” Casa said, commenting on the law which allows for the minimum pay to be given for the leaves.

Casa said that under a PN government, the paternity leave would have been extended to 15 days with full pay. Currently, the new laws have extended the paternity leave to 10 days at the minimum pay rate, and the father must take these leave days within the first three weeks of the birth of his child.

Casa expressed disappointment that the Maltese government has not thoroughly thought over and held discussions over the Work-Life Balance Directive, appealing for it to amend the laws once again to better fit the lives of Maltese families.

PN MP Graziella Attard Previ said that the measures were announced too close to the deadline, which shows that it was left to the last minute. Attard Previ added that government should not parade the laws as part of the PL’s electoral promises as the country was obliged to implement the directives.

Attard Previ said that the spirit of the directives was to ensure equality between parents, as well as ensure that both parents are present for the first moments of their child.

PN MP Ivan Castillo said that parents of children born before 2 August will be excluded from these rights, and that the period of leave being offered is restricting and inflexible.

The legal notice has drawn criticism from employers and social partners who have complained about unclear policies, lack of consultation and the low level of ambition in investing in family rights.