Any absence from work which has not been authorised by the employer is to be treated as unpaid leave, the Malta Employers' Association said on Tuesday in a directive to employers.
The directive was issued after some trade unions, including the UĦM and the MUMN, told their members to work from home if they have to care for their children, since schools are opening later than usual.
In a statement, the MEA said it is the prerogative of the employer to decide whether employees should work remotely or not.
In further comments to Times of Malta, MEA director-general Joe Farrugia said the association's directive applied to various situations, because people simply should not take the law into their own hands.
It also applied, he said, in the case of workers who decided to go on quarantine without any documentation proving that they had to do so.
When it was pointed out to him that some workers had tested positive, but had not received any documentation to quarantine, Farrugia said he appreciated that employers faced a dilemma, but some form of certification or authorisation was needed for workers to stay away from their jobs as there would be abuse otherwise.
"We either have a system, or we have anarchy. People cannot suddenly decide to tell their employer they are in quarantine, without any certification," he said.
He said the association also disagreed with advice given to some employers by officials from the employment directorate that workers in quarantine were not obliged to work from home, when some clearly could do so.
"What will these people do, watch Netflix for two weeks and get paid for not working?" he asked. This, he insisted, was absurd.
Chamber of Commerce calls for dialogue
The Malta Chamber of Commerce reacted to the directives by the trade unions by appealing for dialogue.
"For the past two years there has been close cooperation between employers and their employees, whether unionised or otherwise. This collaboration has enabled so many to work from home, to adopt more flexible working hours, and to absent themselves from work at short notice for all sorts of reasons, ranging from quarantines to school closures. Solutions must be found on the basis of dialogue and not through the issue of unilateral directives. This approach is uncalled for," it said
It urged unions to join employers in being extremely judicious in determining the appropriate duration of preventive quarantine periods, particularly when employees are fully vaccinated. This would ensure that disruptions to schools and workplaces are kept to a minimum.
"Where particular circumstances necessitate that children under 12 are kept at home, arrangements need to be made by the parents on a case-by-case basis, with their respective employers, as has happened countless times in the past two years," it said.
It appealed to the education authorities and unions representing educators to find workable solutions that, apart from minimising disruption in workplaces, prioritise the proper education of children which is of paramount importance.
"There is broad consensus that online schooling can never substitute face-to-face learning. We have to acknowledge that the current generation of students has already accumulated significant educational deficit over the last two years as a result of online schooling," it said. "Every effort is expected from all concerned so that students can return to school and resume proper education at the earliest possible."