PN pledges six months’ maternity leave on full pay and more leave for fathers

A new Nationalist government would extend maternity leave to six months on full pay, increase paternity leave to four weeks and introduce separate paid leave for parents whose children fall sick, Opposition leader Alex Borg said on Sunday.

Addressing a Mother’s Day election campaign event in Mġarr focused on the role of the family in society, Borg said the PN did not want to merely talk about families but give parents more time, dignity and peace of mind.

“We want to put the family at the centre of our policies, not as an afterthought, but at the centre of the country’s policy,” he said.

Under the PN proposals, maternity leave would be extended from the current 18 weeks to 26 weeks, or six months, on full pay.

Borg said the first months of a child’s life were crucial and that mothers should be given the time, peace and dignity they deserved.

“Today, maternity leave is still 18 weeks. There is scope for it to be expanded,” he said.

“One of our priorities is that the first six months of maternity leave will be paid by the government at full pay.”

The PN is also proposing to increase paternity leave from 10 working days to four weeks on full pay.

Borg said fathers should not be treated as secondary figures in the first weeks of a child’s life, arguing that raising a child was a shared responsibility.

“The father should also be present at the start of a child’s upbringing,” he said.

15 days of paid separate leave when child is ill

The event, which also included his partner Sarah Bajada, centred on the role of mothers in society, the importance of fathers being present in family life and the need for a better work-life balance.

Borg thanked mothers for the often unseen work they do, saying appreciation for them should go beyond a simple card or thank you on Mother’s Day.

“Very often, their work is not seen,” he said, adding that mothers deserved the necessary support from the state.

He said that behind every mother there was a story, often marked by “anxiety” and “stress” that were not always visible.

Borg said a PN government would seek to change a system that too often made life more difficult for families.

The party is also pledging to introduce 15 days of separate leave, paid by the state, for parents whose children are sick.

Borg said many parents currently end up using vacation leave, asking for favours or scrambling to make last-minute arrangements when a child wakes up ill.

“The system today means we cannot stay with them,” he said. “This is something innovative that will help families.”

The proposed leave would be flexible and could be used for half-days, full days or consecutive periods, according to the party’s brief.

Borg said families should not be punished because children fall sick, and parents should have the peace of mind to do what every mother and father wants to do: look after their children.

The PN is also proposing that new leave rights apply to self-employed workers.

Borg said self-employed parents should not be left out of family-friendly measures, noting that people who run their own business face the same pressures and responsibilities as other workers.

“We will extend rights to the self-employed, including the right to sick leave and leave,” he said. “We do not want to leave them alone.”

The Opposition leader also pledged to strengthen the right to flexible work, saying that, where the nature of the job allowed it, workers should be given more control over their time.

He said remote and flexible working could help parents and workers more broadly by reducing stress, unnecessary travel and traffic, while also supporting productivity.

“In certain sectors, remote working can work without stopping productivity,” he said.

“We want to continue introducing measures to improve work-life balance.”

Borg said quality of life should not be measured only through economic figures, but also through the time parents have with their children, the peace of mind families enjoy at home and whether mothers are forced to choose between their family and their future.

“We need time for family, but also time for work,” he said.

He also spoke about women’s role in public life, saying many women had been empowered and that he believed in their participation in politics.

“As a party, we are proud that the president of the European Parliament is Roberta Metsola,” he said.

Borg reiterated the PN’s position in favour of life “from conception to death” and said the party would continue supporting IVF.

“We will continue being in favour of IVF,” he said.

He said a PN government would work to reduce bureaucracy and costs for couples seeking treatment and would ensure a stronger framework for IVF in Malta.

“We want a strong framework for people to access IVF in Malta,” he said.

Borg also reflected on his own family, saying his mother had not initially wanted him to enter politics.

“My mother didn’t want me to go into politics,” he said. “But she supported me anyway.”

The PN said its measures were intended to move Malta beyond the European minimum on work-life balance and deliver what it described as a real leap in quality of life.

Borg said the aim was to build a country where family was not treated as a slogan, where time with children was not a luxury, where fathers were present, mothers were supported, and children were given the best possible start in life.