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This report outlines various family-friendly measures and equal opportunities initiatives for public sector employees in Malta, focusing on themes like disability inclusion, parental leave, reduced working hours, and adoption leave. It also discusses projects under the European Social Fund aimed at gender mainstreaming and empowering underrepresented groups in the labor market. The document highlights the importance of promoting diversity and inclusivity within the Maltese public sector.
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Diversity & Equal Opportunities 2nd HR Working Group 26th October, 05 – Crowne Plaza St James, London Simon Sammut, Director, Policy & Planning Office of the Prime Minister
Context • Population 402,668 • Gainfully Occupied 137,142 • Registered Unemployed 7,716 • Total Labour Force 144,858 • Public Sector Employment 45,729 (33%) of which 29,890 (22%) are Public Service employees
The Maltese public sector can, broadly speaking, be classified into: • ministries and departments of government (public service) • statutory corporations and authorities, including autonomous regulatory bodies • government-owned limited liability companies and foundations • local councils.
Issues • Integration of Persons with a disability • to ensure no discrimination takes place against persons with disabilities • Family-Friendly Measures • reconciling family and professional life • Female Participation • increase female employment, female entrepreneurship, female retention and prevent loss of expertise.
Disabled Persons 0.27% of public service employees
When applying for vacant positions, persons registered with the National Commission for Persons with a Disability (NCPD) may be given reasonable accommodation*, even if they do not satisfy in full the eligibility requirements, provided they can carry out, in essence, the duties related to the post/position. * In terms of section 7 of the Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act, 2000
“the term ‘make reasonable accommodation’ includes – (a) making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities; and (b) restructuring jobs, instituting part-time or modified work schedules, reassigning vacant positions, acquiring or modifying equipment or devices, appropriately adjusting or modifying examinations, training materials or policies, providing qualified readers or interpreters, and making any other similar accommodation for a person with a disability.” Source: Section 7(5) of the Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act, 2000
Family-Friendly Measures Parental Leave • Public Officers are allowed one year unpaid leave to take care of their own children who are under six years of age; • This leave may be availed of in respect of each child; • Utilised as a whole period or by multiples of 3 months (that is, 3, 6, or 9 months)
In addition, public officers are allowed a once only maximum period of five years unpaid parental leave to take care of their own children under the age of six years; • Parental leave may be taken or shared by both parents (if both are public officers);
Engagement of Casual Substitutes • Departments are allowed to engage Casual Substitutes on a definite to replace an employee on long paid or unpaid leave such as parental leave; • A casual substitute has to be twinned, name to name, to an existing public officer who is away on long leave; • The contract of the Substitute is terminated when the public officer returns to work.
Work on Reduced Hours • Parents are allowed to work on reduced hours until the child reaches the age of twelve years; • Employees conditioned to a forty hour working week have the option to work either twenty hours or thirty hours; • Employees conditioned to an alternative timetable have the option to work either 50% or 75% of their normal working hours.
Adoption Leave • Public Officers are entitled to five weeks adoption leave with pay from the day that a child passes into their custody; • When adopting a child, public officers are also entitled to the one year unpaid parental leave and the once only maximum period of five years unpaid parental leave.
Other measures • Responsibility leave to take care of dependent family members; • Leave to foster children; • Leave to accompany spouse on government sponsored courses or assignments; • Urgent Family Leave
An extensive report on family-friendly measures has been finalised; • Proposing new measures including, job sharing and teleworking; • Following a piloting stage, such measures will be phased in the public service.
Projects under the European Social Fund • Gender Mainstreaming; • Promoting Equal Opportunities through Empowerment; • Increasing female participation though childcare services at the work place;
Gender Mainstreaming • The overall objective of this project is to sensitise the social partners to the cost-effectiveness and other benefits, such as smoother work processes/relations and increased productivity that may arise due to the introduction of family-friendly provisions.
Promoting Equal Opportunities through Empowerment • The aim of the project is to reach out to the inactive segment of the Maltese population, particularly women, and encourage them to be part of, remain and advance in the labour market by promoting the uptake of opportunities in different fields.
Childcare Services at the Work Place The objectives of this Project are: • To increase female employment and take-up of training and life-long learning. • To stimulate female entrepreneurship. • Decrease risk of poverty by enabling unemployed mothers to work. • Increase female retention and prevent loss of expertise.
