“Parents’ rights will be drastically improved”

Partit Nazzjonalista Head of Delegation David Casa has completed the first stage of his work on the Work-Life Balance Directive. He is responsible for establishing the European Parliament’s position on this file and will represent the Parliament in negotiations with the Council of Ministers.

David Casa stated:

“This legislation seeks to introduce 10 days of paid leave for fathers on the occasion of the birth of a child, 4 months paid leave for each parent to be taken until the child reaches a certain age and five days of annual carer’s leave for those taking on caring responsibilities for dependents. If this legislation is adopted it would constitute a drastic improvement to the rights of parents and have a tangible effect on the lives of Maltese citizens”.

The aim of the proposal is that of creating a better balance in the uptake of caring responsibilities between men and women, increasing women’s participation in labour market and addressing their unequal treatment and opportunities in the workplace. Furthermore, it encourages the strengthening of men's roles as carers in the family, which will also benefit children.

“I am working to ensure that this legislation can be implemented as expediently as possible, while at the same inserting safeguards so as to ensure that businesses, and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) in particular will not be overly burdened by the obligations that this legislation will create”, stated Casa.

David Casa has introduced a number of safeguards to protect micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Including the ability to request the postponement of the taking of such leave, the removal of administrative burdens and the requirement to provide a suitable notification period that take into consideration the needs of the employer.

The work-life balance directive is one of the first concrete deliverables of the European Pillar for Social Rights. It is based on the 'New Start' initiative aimed to address the work-life balance challenges faced by working parents and carers. The initiative will help in the pursuit of the objectives set out in the Treaty of equality between men and women with regard to labour market opportunities and equal treatment at work and the promotion of high level of employment in the EU.