Legislative preparations for parents to be availed of Sick Leave when offsprings are sick

Research quoted by the Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar shows that Public Sector employees take just one day of Sick Leave more than Private Sector employees annually. These statistics do not concur with the contention previously made by the Malta Employers’ Association (MEA) that Public Sector employees avail themselves of three times the amount of Sick Leave taken by the Private Sector employees.

During a meeting with representative unions, Mario Cutajar announced that preparations are being made so that during this legislature, legal measures will be available for parents to avail themselves of Sick Leave when their offsprings are sick.

Cutajar also said that Summer Half Days for Government employees will continue because according to him these are not negatively impacting the economy. He also said that contrary to public perception, Government employees in hospitals and health centres, as well as the Police and the Military do not have Half Days.

The Head of the Civil Service spoke with journalists at the end of the meeting and said that in a year about 9,000 employees in Government departments and public entities benefitted from family-friendly measures. The most popular measures are teleworking and use of flexitime. Cutajar said this employee flexibility is also to be extended for clients to benefit and a pilot project is to be launched that will include among other things changes in operating times for some Government Departments.

He said the pilot project is being studied so as to be launched during this year and this will enable departments or a department to lengthen its operational hours and this will offer extended servicing hours to clients and will also suit employees wishing to work flexitime. Additionally, this will also help moderate traffic flows.

The Permanent Secretary said he does not agree with the MEA analysis that stated that Public Sector employees take triple the Sick Leave taken by Private Sector employees. Cutajar said that a research study undertaken by Vincent Marmara had resulted that Public Sector employees take just one more day of Sick Leave annually.

He said the Private Sector average is 2.6 annually while in the Public Sector it stands at 3.6, a difference of only one day. Nevertheless, the situation is being studied to establish which particular Public Sector departments take Sick Leave.

Cutajar said the discrepancy between Marmara’s figures and that of the MEA arises because in the Private Sector some discount the first three days of Sick Leave and only start counting from the fourth day, which Public Sector figures are taken from the first day of sickness.

Source: https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/hidma-biex-genituri-legislative-preparations-for-parents-to-be-availed-of-sick-leave-when-offsprings-are-sick-sick-leave-meta-wliedhom-ikunu-ma-jifilhux/