Other Rights

The employer cannot treat less favourably a pregnant employee or an employee who is applying for, or is on maternity leave.

During maternity leave or special maternity leave the employee will remain entitled to all rights and benefits which may accrue during that period to comparable employees at the same place of work. These may include allowing the employee to apply for any promotion opportunities, wage increases / increments and vacation leave.

On termination of maternity leave, the employee has the right to resume work in the post formerly occupied on the commencement of the maternity leave and if such post is no longer available, to a related post.

An employer cannot dismiss an employee solely because she is pregnant, has recently given birth, is breastfeeding, is availing of maternity leave or special maternity leave, or during the five-week period following the end of maternity leave, if the employee is incapable for work due to pathological conditions arising out of confinement. When dismissing a pregnant employee during her probation, the employer is bound to give the reason/s in writing for the employee’s dismissal and such reason/s cannot be related to the employee’s condition. If the employee considers such dismissal as unfair, she has the right to present a complaint of alleged unfair dismissal before the Industrial Tribunal

within four months from the date of the dismissal.

Department of Industrial and Employment Relations

121,

Triq Melita, Valletta, VLT 2000

URL: www.industrialrelations.gov.mt

Tel: 21 220497 21 224245

Fax: 21 243177

Email: ind.emp.relations@gov.mt

Disclaimer:

All information in this publication is correct as on the date of publication. Although due care has been taken to ensure the correctness of published information, this does not rule out mistakes. It is advisable to use this publication for general information purposes only and before taking any decisions or interpreting any published information you consult the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations. For further information including recent updates on the subject contact the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations.

Ref: I-EM04-4.1.3 Published on: April 2012

Drittijiet Oħra

Il-prinëipal ma jistax ikeëëi jew jittratta inqas favorevoli impjegata tqila jew impjegata li applikat għal, jew tkun, bil-leave għall-maternita’.

Waqt il-leave tal-maternità jew leave speëjali tal-maternità, l-impjegata tibqa’ intitolata għad-drittijiet u l-benefiëëji kollha li impjegata komparabbli fl-istess post tax-xogħol tkun intitolata għalihom f’dak il-perjodu. Dawn jinkludu opportunitajiet li tapplika għal promozzjoni, Ŝidiet fil-paga u leave għal vaganza.

Meta tidħol lura għax-xogħol, hi għandha tkun intitolata li terāa’ lura għall-istess post li kellha jew, meta dan mhux aktar possibbli, għal xogħol ekwivalenti.

Il-prinëipal ma jistax ikeëëi impjegata għax tkun tqila, għadha kemm welldet, tkun qed tredda’, tkun fuq il-leave tal-maternità jew il-leave speëjali tal-maternità jew matul il-ħames āimgħat wara li jgħaddi l-maternity leave jekk l-impjegata ma tkunx tajba għax-xogħol minħabba kundizzjoni patoloāika li tirriŜulta mill-ħlas. Il-prinëipal huwa marbut li jagħti r-raāuni jew ir-raāunijiet bil-miktub jekk il-prinëipal jiddeëiedi li jkeëëi impjegata tqila waqt il-perjodu ta’ prova, biex jiāāustifika li t-tkeëëija mhijiex relatata mal-kundizzjoni tal-impjegata. Jekk l-impjegata tikkunsidra t-tkeëëija bħala ināusta, hija għandha d-dritt li tippreŜenta ilment ta’ allegat tkeëëija ināusta quddiem it-Tribunal Industrijali fi Ŝmien erba’ xhur mid-data tat-tkeëëija.

L E A V E għall-maternità

ma t e rn i t y L E AV E

Il-Ħarsien tal-Maternità

Il-liāi tħares id-drittijiet tal-impieg ta’ impjegati tqal, impjegati li għadhom kemm welldu u impjegati li qed ireddgħu, u b’hekk tiffaëilita t-titjib fis-saħħa u s-sigurtà ta’ dawn l-impjegati.

Impjegata li toħroā tqila għandha tagħti ëertifikat tat-tqala lill-prinëipal tagħha u tinformah ukoll meta mistenni twelled.

Impjegata li tkun għadha kemm welldet trid tinforma lill-prinëipal bil-kundizzjoni tagħha wkoll. Dan japplika għal impjegati li jkunu welldu:

• mhux aktar minn 14-il āimgħa qabel id-data mistennija fil-kaŜ ta’ tarbija mwielda mejta,

• mhux aktar minn 26 āimgħa qabel fil-kaŜ ta’ twelid ta’ tarbija ħajja.

Sa 26 āimgħa wara d-data tal-ħlas, impjegata hija kunsidrata bħal waħda li qed tredda’.

Leave tal-maternità

Impjegata li tkun waqt tqala għandha dritt li tieħu leave tal-maternità bi ħlas, għal perjodu sħiħ ta’ erbatax-il āimgħa. Għas-sena 2012, il-leave tal-maternita’ Ŝdied b’āimgħatejn u allura gie ta’ sittax-il āimgħa. Fis-sena 2013, il-leave tal-maternita’ ser jerāa’ jiŜdied b’āimgħatejn oħra u allura jsir ta’ tmintax-il āimgħa. L-ewwel erbatax-il āimgħa jitħallsu mill-prinëipal iŜda l-āimgħat ta’ wara l-erbatax-il āimgħa ma jitħallsux

mill-prinëipal. Dan huwa mingħajr preāudizzju għal xi ħlas li jista’ jsir taħt l-Att dwar is-Sigurta’ Soëjali fir-rigward tal-āimgħat Ŝejda li jiāu wara l-erbatax-il āimgħa. Safejn ikun raāonevolment prattikabbli, l-impjegata għandha tinforma lill-prinëipal bil-miktub, tal-anqas erba’ āimgħat qabel, bid-data meta tkun bi ħsiebha tagħmel uŜu minn dan id-dritt. Il-leave tal-maternità jista’ jittieħed kif āej:

• 6 āimgħat immedjatament wara d-data tat-twelid;

• 4 āimgħat immedjatament qabel id-data meta tkun mistennija twelled, sakemm ma jkunx miftiehem mod ieħor bejn il-prinëipal u l-impjegata.

• Il-bilanë ta’ āimgħat li jifdal, kollu jew parti, eŜatt qabel jew immedjatament wara l-perjodi msemmija qabel kif titlob l-impjegata.

Ħlas jinkludi wkoll it-twelid ta’ tarbija mejta wara seba’ xhur tqala.

Leave Speëjali tal-maternità

Leave speëjali tal-maternità japplika għal impjegati tqal, impjegati li jkunu għadhom kemm welldu u impjegati li jkunu fi Ŝmien li jreddgħu.

Jekk mill-valutazzjoni tar-riskju li l-prinëipal hu obbligat li jagħmel, joħrog li hemm riskju għas-saħħa u s-sigurtà fuq it-tqala jew it-treddigħ, il-prinëipal għandu:

• Ibiddel, għal Ŝmien temporanju l-ambjent tax-xogħol u/jew tas-sigħat tax-xogħol tal-impjegata konëernata;

• Ibiddel it-tip ta’ xogħol tal-impjegata għal wieħed aktar adegwat

Protection of Maternity

The law provides for the safeguard of the employment rights of pregnant employees, employees who have recently given birth and of breastfeeding employees, thus facilitating improvements in the safety and health of these employees.

A pregnant employee should provide her employer with a certificate of her pregnancy and of the expected date of confinement.

An employee who has recently given birth should also inform her employer of her condition. This applies for employees who give birth:

• Not more than 14 weeks before the due date of confinement, in case of a stillborn child, and

• Not more than 26 weeks before the due date of confinement, in case of a live birth.

An employee is considered as a breastfeeding employee up to 26 weeks following confinement.

Maternity Leave

A pregnant employee has the right to resort to paid maternity leave for an uninterrupted period of 14 weeks. For the year 2012, the maternity leave entitlement was extended by two weeks and thus it is now a period of sixteen weeks. In the year 2013, the maternity leave will again be extended by a further two weeks and thus the maternity leave will be of a period of eighteen weeks. The first fourteen weeks of maternity leave

are paid by the employer but the weeks beyond the first fourteen weeks are not paid by the employer. This is without prejudice to any entitlement for payment which may be effected by virtue of the Social Security Act with regards to the extra weeks after the first fourteen weeks. The employee has to notify her employer in writing of the date when she intends to avail herself of such entitlement at least four weeks before its commencement, in so far as is reasonably practicable. Maternity leave can be availed of as follows:

• 6 weeks immediately after the date of confinement;

• 4 weeks before the expected date of confinement, unless agreed otherwise between the employer and the employee; and

• The remaining balance, in whole or in part, either immediately before or immediately after the aforementioned periods, as the employee may request.

Confinement also includes the birth of a stillborn child after 7 months of pregnancy.

Special Maternity Leave

Special maternity leave may apply to pregnant employees, employees who have recently given birth and breastfeeding employees.

If a risk assessment, that the employer is obliged to carry out, reveals a risk to the safety or health of such employee, the employer is obliged to take the following measures:

• The temporary adjustment of the working environment and/or the hours of work of the

employee concerned.

• The assignment of the employee to suitable alternative work which is appropriate in the circumstances.

Notwithstanding the above measures aimed to protect the health and safety of the employee, the employee’s contract of employment should be kept in force and no deduction in wages should be effected.

If a risk still prevails, even in spite of taking the necessary steps referred above, such employee shall be given special maternity leave. During the special maternity leave, the employer shall pay the employee, for the whole of the period necessary to protect the employee’s safety or health, a special allowance equivalent to the rate of sickness benefit payable in terms of the Social Security Act.

Night Work

During her pregnancy and breastfeeding, an employee who is not in a position to perform night work for health and safety reasons, may produce a medical certificate to justify her request to shift to day work. On such request, the employer shall transfer the employee to day work without jeopardising the employee’s rights as established in her contract of employment.

Ante-natal examinations

An employee is entitled to time off without loss of pay or any other benefit, in order to attend ante-natal examinations, if such examinations have to take place during her hours of work.

għaë-ëirkostanzi tagħha.

Barra l-miŜuri msemmija hawn fuq, li jipproteāu s-saħħa u s-sigurtà tal-impjegata, il-kuntratt tax-xogħol tagħha xorta jibqa’ fis-seħħ u l-ebda tnaqqis fil-pagi ma għandu jsir.

Jekk xorta jibqa’ tip ta’ riskju ankè wara li jittieħdu l-miŜuri msemmija qabel, l-impjegata għandha tingħata leave speëjali tal-maternità. Tul il-leave speëjali tal-maternità, il-prinëipal għandu jħallas lill-impjegata, għall-perjodu kollu neëessarju biex iħares is-sigurtà jew is-saħħa tagħha, allowance speëjali ekwivalenti għar-rata ta’ benefiëëju tal-mard pagabbli skond l-Att dwar is-Sigurtà Soëjali.

Xogħol billejl

Impjegata li tkun waqt tqala jew qed tredda’ u li mhux f’poŜizzjoni li taħdem billejl għar-raāuni ta’ saħħa u sigurtà, din tistà āāib ëertifikat mediku li jiāāustifika l-kundizzjoni tagħha li taqleb għal xogħol matul il-āurnata. F’dan il-kaŜ il-prinëipal għandu jittrasferixxi l-impjegata għal xogħol matul il-āurnata mingħajr ma jnaqqsilha d-drittijiet tagħha hekk kif miftiehem fil-kuntratt tax-xogħol.

EŜamijiet qabel it-twelid.

Impjegata tqila għandha tkun intitolata għal ħin liberu bla telf ta’ paga jew benefiëëji oħra biex tattendi eŜamijiet ta’ qabel it-twelid, jekk dawn l-eŜamijiet ikollhom isiru matul is-sigħat tax-xogħol tagħha.