Eight organisations active in support of workers’ rights, parental rights and equality between women and men, have sent a letter to the General Workers Union (GWU) and Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin (UHM) to express their great disappointment at the role the unions played in the transposition of the European Directive on work-life balance, and to stress that this weak law should change.
The organisations expressed their deep dismay that during discussions, which happened behind closed doors on the Employment Relations Board, the unions agreed to the Directive’s transposition in a way that did not adequately take into account the needs of the female and male workers who have family and care responsibilities. Legal Notice 201 of 2022, which transposes the Directive, gives the least possible to workers in Malta, with the result that, in practice, the objectives of the Directive will not be achieved.
With the exception of ten days of fully paid paternity leave, all other measures are extremely weak. Of the four months of parental leave, only two months will be paid, and this at a miserable rate of sick pay, €21.85 per day. This means that few working parents will be able to afford to use this leave. One of the aims of paid parental leave is to encourage men to make use of it so that family responsibilities are shared more equally between the sexes; a goal that will certainly not be reached due to the very low rate at which this leave will be paid. In addition, the fact that this leave cannot be taken all at once (only a month can be used until the child is four years old) means that parents will not be able to use it when they need it most.
Carers’ leave – which is only 5 days a year for workers to look after people in their care – will not be paid.
The right of workers to request a flexible working arrangement from the employer, as introduced by the Legal Notice, will have almost no impact because there is no obligation to meet these demands in certain circumstances or under certain conditions.
In their letter, the organisations said that the results of this transposition show that the unions have completely failed to exert influence in favour of the interests of the workers during the discussions in the Employment Relations Board. The measures implemented are the mandatory minimum from the Directive and have been introduced through a ‘tick box’ exercise, only for Malta to comply with the Directive on paper, instead of an exercise that seeks to make a positive difference in the lives of working parents and those with care responsibilities.
In their letter, the organisations asked: where were the unions to ensure that the Directive was transposed in such a way as to protect the interests of women and men workers? Why didn’t the unions call for a broad consultation? Why did the unions agree to worst possible transposition of the Directive? Why have the unions failed to negotiate measure that have a more positive impact on workers and on equality between women and men in society?
The organisations ended the letter by saying that they will be waiting for the unions to play their role of defenders of the interests of the workers and give full support to the request the organisations will make to the government for a broad consultation and significant improvements to the law. The organisations believe that work-life balance measures that really make a difference in workers’ lives and in society should be put in place.
Organisations
Moviment Graffitti
Malta Women’s Lobby
Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability (MFOPD)
National Parent’s Society Persons with Disability (NPSPD)
Women’s Rights Foundation
Aditus Foundation
Alleanza Kontra l-Faqar
Down Syndrome Association Malta
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Stqarrija għall-Istampa 22.07.22
“Inqastu milli tħarsu l-interessi tal-ħaddiema” – Għaqdiet b’ittra lill-unions dwar it-traspożizzjoni tad-Direttiva Ewropea dwar il-bilanċ bejn ix-xogħol u l-familja
Tmien għaqdiet attivi favur id-drittijiet tal-ħaddiema, id-drittijiet tal-ġenituri u l-ugwaljanza bejn in-nisa u l-irġiel, bagħtu ittra lill-General Workers Union (GWU) u lill-Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin (UHM) sabiex jesprimu d-diżappunt kbir tagħhom lejn ir-rwol tal-unions fit-traspożizzjoni tad-Direttiva Ewropea dwar il-bilanċ bejn ix-xogħol u l-familja u sabiex jisħqu li din il-liġi dgħajfa tinbidel.
L-għaqdiet esprimew id-dispjaċir tagħhom li matul id-diskussjonijiet wara bibien magħluqa fil-Bord tar-Relazzjonijiet dwar l-Impjieg, il-unions aċċettaw li d-Direttiva tiġi trasposta b’mod li ma jqisx adegwatament il-ħtiġijiet tal-ħaddiema nisa u rġiel li għandhom responsabbiltajiet familjari u ta’ kura. L-Avviż Legali 201 tal-2022, li bih ġiet trasposta d-Direttiva, jagħti l-inqas possibbli lill-ħaddiema f’Malta bir-riżultat li, fil-prattika, l-għanijiet tad-Direttiva mhux ser jintlaħqu.
Bl-eċċezzjoni tal-għaxart ijiem leave tal-paternità mħallsa bis-sħiħ, il-miżuri kollha l-oħra huma dgħajfa mmens. Mill-erba’ xhur leave tal-ġenituri, xahrejn biss ser ikunu mħallsa u b’rata miżera ta’ sick pay, €21.85 kull ġurnata. Għalhekk ftit huma l-ġenituri ħaddiema li ser ikunu jistgħu jaffordjaw jużaw dan il-leave. Wieħed mill-għanijiet tal-leave tal-ġenituri bi ħlas huwa li l-irġiel jiġu inċentivati jagħmlu użu minnu sabiex ir-responsabbiltajiet familjari jitqassmu b’mod aktar ugwali bejn is-sessi; għan li żgur mhux se jintlaħaq minħabba r-rata baxxa ħafna li ser jitħallas biha dan il-leave. Barra minn hekk, il-fatt li dan il-leave ma jistax jittieħed kollu f’daqqa (jista’ jittieħed xahar biss sakemm it-tfal ikollhom erba’ snin) ifisser li l-ġenituri mhumiex ser ikunu jistgħu jużawh meta l-iktar għandhom bżonnu.
Il-leave għall-persuni li jindukraw (carers’ leave) – li huwa ta’ ħamest ijiem biss fis-sena sabiex ħaddiema jieħdu ħsieb persuni fil-kura tagħhom – mhux ser ikun imħallas.
Id-dritt li l-ħaddiema jitolbu arranġament tax-xogħol flessibbli minn min iħaddem, kif introdott bl-Avviż Legali, mhu se jħalli kważi ebda impatt għaliex ma hemm ebda obbligu li dawn it-talbiet jintlaqgħu f’ċerti ċirkostanzi jew taħt ċertu kundizzjonijiet.
Fl-ittra tagħhom l-għaqdiet qalu li r-riżultati ta’ din it-traspożizzjoni juru li l-unions naqsu kompletament milli jkollhom influwenza favur l-interessi tal-ħaddiema matul id-diskussjonijiet fil-Bord tar-Relazzjonijiet dwar l-Impjieg. Il-miżuri li daħlu fis-seħħ huma l-minimu mandatorju mid-Direttiva u daħlu permezz ta’ eżerċizzju ta’ tick box intiż biss li, fuq il-karta, Malta tkun konformi mad-Direttiva, minflok eżerċizzju li jfittex li jagħmel differenza pożittiva fil-ħajja tal-ħaddiema ġenituri u b’responsabbiltajiet ta’ kura.
Fl-ittra tagħhom l-għaqdiet staqsew: fejn kienu l-unions sabiex jiżguraw li d-Direttiva tiġi trasposta b’mod li jitħarsu l-interessi tal-ħaddiema nisa u rġiel? Għalfejn il-unions ma talbux li ssir konsultazzjoni wiesgħa? Għalfejn il-unions aċċettaw li d-Direttiva tiġi trasposta bl-agħar mod possibbli? Għalfejn il-unions naqsu milli jinnegozjaw miżuri li jkollhom impatt aktar pożittiv fuq il-ħaddiema u fuq l-ugwaljanza bejn in-nisa u l-irġiel fis-soċjetà?
L-għaqdiet temmew l-ittra billi qalu li ser ikunu qed jistennew li l-unions jaqdu l-irwol tagħhom ta’ difensuri tal-interessi tal-ħaddiema u jagħtu appoġġ sħiħ lit-talba li ser jagħmlu lill-Gvern sabiex ikun hemm konsultazzjoni wiesgħa u titjib sinifkanti fil-liġi. L-għaqdiet jemmnu li għandhom jidħlu fis-seħħ miżuri favur bilanċ bejn ix-xogħol u l-familja li verament jagħmlu differenza fil-ħajja tal-ħaddiema u fis-soċjetà.
Għaqdiet
Moviment Graffitti
Malta Women’s Lobby
Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability (MFOPD)
National Parent’s Society Persons with Disability (NPSPD)
Women’s Rights Foundation
Aditus Foundation
Alleanza Kontra l-Faqar
Down Syndrome Association Malta
