Don’t wait till the last minute to transpose Work Life Balance Directive – Casa

In a letter to Prime Minister Robert Abela, MEP David Casa called on the government to transpose the Work Life Balance Directive without delay. David Casa successfully concluded negotiations on this Directive in 2019 and it is now EU law. All member states, including Malta, have until August 2022 to transpose this directive into national legislation.

Casa, who is a  European Parliament Quaestor and forms part of the Parliament Bureau, stated: “This legislation will give significant new rights to parents across the European Union. It will encourage a better sharing of caring responsibilities between parents and will benefit the economy and society by reducing the gender employment, pay and pension gaps.”

In Malta, because of this directive, the rights of parents will be considerably increased. The main benefits are:

• 10 days of paid paternity leave for fathers (or the equivalent second parent) at the time of the birth of a child instead of the current 1 day of birth leave;
• Half of the 4 months of parental leave available to Maltese parents will have to be paid and non-transferrable between parents;
• The introduction of right to request flexible working arrangements; and 
• The introduction of 5 days of annual carers’ leave to care for sick loved ones.

“This legislation supports women in reaching their full potential at the workplace. It is a direct investment in families and will have a tangible positive impact on citizens across Malta and Gozo by allowing parents to better balance their work and family obligations,” stated Casa.

MEP Casa welcomed the recent launch of a petition by Positive Birth Malta, that calls on the Maltese authorities not to delay the transposition of the Work Life Balance Directive. “This is a positive initiative, which I have signed too and encourage others to do the same”, stated Casa.