Ritratt: CanvaA mother in Malta, Christabel Vella, has started a petition asking the Government to increase maternity leave. She wants one parent to be able to stay at home with their child until the child turns two years old.
Vella gave birth for the first time about nine months ago. She said she is lucky because she has support from her family and her employer, allowing her to stay at home until her baby is 10 months old. However, she said many other parents are not as fortunate.
She explained that when maternity leave ends, babies are still very young. Many parents find it difficult to send their children to childcare centres for long hours at such an early age.
Vella said she is speaking on behalf of future parents, as she herself will not benefit from the petition since she will return to work soon.
The petition also asks for maternity leave to be transferable between parents when needed.
She made it clear that the petition is not against childcare services or parents who choose to use them. Instead, it aims to help parents who want to spend more time at home with their children.
Current Maltese Law:
In Malta, pregnant employees have the right to maternity leave. If a pregnant or breastfeeding employee faces risks at work that could affect her or her child’s health, she is entitled to special maternity leave while the risk exists.
Pregnant employees can also take time off, without losing pay, to attend medical check-ups during working hours.
Maternity leave lasts for 18 weeks. The first 14 weeks are fully paid, while the remaining 4 weeks are paid at a lower rate through social security benefits.
Comparison with the EU:
Malta’s maternity leave is below the EU average of 23.5 weeks. Since 2022, fathers in Malta are entitled to 10 days of paid paternity leave, which increased from just one day before.
