Reform definite contracts to end workers' 'sustained uncertainty': Momentum

Momentum has called for Malta’s definite contract laws to be reformed, saying workers should no longer be kept on rolling temporary contracts for up to four years before being made permanent.

The party said it would push to cut the maximum period before a definite contract is converted into an indefinite one from four years to two, arguing that the current system leaves too many workers in “sustained uncertainty”.

It also said that if an employer does not renew a worker’s contract but later reopens the same post within a year, the job should have to be offered back to that employee.

Momentum said the widespread use of definite contracts had become a way of keeping workers in a precarious position, rather than a legitimate response to short-term staffing needs.

“Workers deserve stability, not a permanent state of waiting,” the party said.

The proposals form part of a wider package of employment reforms announced by the party, including changes to maternity and parental leave and a pledge to ensure equal pay for equal work.

Increases in maternity, parental leave

Momentum said it would push for maternity leave to be increased to 26 weeks on full pay. It also proposed one year of parental leave on full pay, to be shared between parents, with four months made non-transferable.

The party said Malta’s current parental leave provisions were among the weakest in Europe and forced too many parents to choose between work and family.

Equal pay for equal work

Momentum also pledged to address pay gaps between state employees and workers doing the same jobs through agencies or private contractors.

It said care workers, security guards and secretaries were among those who often earned less than colleagues doing identical work “side by side” because their contract was signed by an agency rather than the state.

The party said recent laws meant to address the issue were not being properly enforced.

“The same work must mean the same pay, regardless of who signs the contract,” it said.

Momentum candidate Matthew Agius, who is contesting the second and eighth districts, said workers were asking for basic guarantees.

“Workers in Malta are only asking for a permanent contract after years of loyalty, decent leave to raise a child, and the same pay as the colleague doing the identical job next to them,” he said.

He accused both the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party of having failed to deliver such reforms.