National Council of Women of Malta - Promoting Equality of Opportunities

NCW Resolution: Health and Safety at Work

NCW aware that health and safety at work should be seen as a key factor for economic growth and productivity. It involves not just businesses and workers but society as a whole.

NCW Resolution: Legal framework for temporary workers

NCW aware that a new Directive has been recently adopted at an EU level with the specific objective of regulating the employment conditions of temporary workers,

UN Women

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously decided to establish UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

Self-employed workers to gain maternity and pension benefits under new EU law

Self-employed workers and their partners will enjoy better social protection – including the right to maternity leave for the first time – under new legislation endorsed by EU governments today.

More women in top jobs key to economic growth, says EU report

Only one in 10 board members of Europe's biggest listed companies is a woman and all central bank governors in the EU are male.

Tackling the gender pay gap – Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we need to tackle the gender pay gap? At 18% across Europe, the gender pay gap remains intolerably high and stubborn. Equal pay for equal work is one of the European Union’s founding principles.

EU Commission Statement for Women's Day 2010

Ahead of International Women's Day, the European Commission strengthened and deepened its commitment to equality between women and men with a Women's Charter.

Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship - Gen

European Commission plans to use a series of measures aimed at significantly reducing the pay gap between men and women over the next five years.

Kunsill Nazzjonali tan-Nisa - Messagg ghal Jum il-Mara 2010

L-OMMIJIET LI JAHDMU M'GHANDHOMX IKUNU PENALIZZATI Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tan-Nisa jsejjah lill-membri parlamentari ewropej kollha biex jivvutaw favor l-estensjoni tal-leave tal-maternita' u tal-leave ghall-genituri li se tkun ipprezentata fil-Parlament Ewropew fl-24 u l-25 ta' Marzu wara li fl-ahhar ta' Dicembru il-vot ma ittehidx konsegwenza ta' kontroversja bejn il-gruppi politici

Longer parental leave and incentives for fathers

Longer parental leave and incentives for fathers agreed by EU ministersEuropean Commission, Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Parents will have the right to longer parental leave, under new rules agreed by EU ministers today.

Neqirdu il-pjaga tal-Vjolenza Domestika – Kulhadd ghandu sehem x’jaghti

Il-Vjolenza domestika sew psikologika, emozzjonali jew fizika tmur kontra d-dritt fundamental tal-bniedem ghall-hajja u dritt ta’ sikurezza b’mod partikolari fil-familja, l-ambjent l-aktar essenzjali ghall-hajja decenti.

4th Congress of the Small States of Europe

4th CONGRESS OF THE SMALL STATES OF EUROPE The Role of Gender Equality in the Small States of Europe The National Council of Women of Malta hosted the 4th UNESCO Congress for Women Organisations from the Eight Small States of Europe from the 24 to 27 September 2009 at The Palace Hotel, Sliema.

SMEs: A favourable business environment: supporting enterprise and job creation

'Think Small First': A Small Business Act for Europe At a time when there is a global financial and economic crisis, it is companies, in particular SMEs that are the most sensitive and at the same time the most important elements in terms of job creation and recovery capacity. SMEs are a crucial part of our economy and a major source of employment, entrepreneurial skills and innovation

Future Skills for Future Jobs

Anticipating labour market and skills needs The need to address Labour Market Skills Issues at European level Europe, potentially, faces a major skills problem in the near future. Over 20 million new jobs are expected to be created between 2006 and 2020. Another 85 million jobs will be available to replace people who retire or leave the labour market for other reasons.

Breast Screening – a lifeline for women

The National Council of Women welcomes the long awaited breast screening programme that the Council has been pushing for in line with WHO requirements for many years

Date: 27/11/2009

27th November 2009

Extending maternity leave – a win-win situation

The proposal for a directive on the introduction of measures to extend maternity leave by four weeks is a crucial matter that merits careful consideration because it is at once a health and safety issue and a basic family-friendly matter. NCW is very concerned with the position that the Malta business community has taken against this extension, as it reflects the lack of will to seek adequate solutions.(The Times, Thursday 26.11.09)

This initiative is an opportunity to strengthen legislation that not only enables women to recover adequately following confinement, but also encourages them to breastfeed and helps them to forge a strong bond with their newborn child. Giving the extra four weeks to working mothers who have just given birth means that they can breastfeed in a decent, calm and healthy environment - at home - for at least 18 weeks, which is 6 weeks short of the 24 weeks that the Social Platform, the European Women's Lobby, the WHO and UNICEF, are recommending, based on the benefits for children to be exclusively breastfed during their first six months of life, as a health prevention measure for both mother and child.

This measure will encourage mothers and fathers to have more and healthier children. It means that our society is really committed to address the negative impact of demographic changes, knowing that our families have been reduced to an average of 1.5 children per family. It means that we are taking practical measures to address the deterioration of our pensions system for our teenage sons and daughters, the future pensioners

Rather than penalising women for their biological condition (motherhood) we would be, in practice expressing our gratitude to mothers for giving birth, nurturing our babies and ensuring their physical and emotional well being.

The National Council of Women is fully aware of the impact of the recession on business, however it believes that women should not bear the brunt, which is already leaving its mark on women working part-time or in precarious conditions, especially when we all know that the participation rate of women in employment is less than 38% which puts Malta at the very bottom of the EU list. NCW believes that measures to ensure that progress achieved so far in the area of gender equality are sustained and developed during and post the economic and financial downturn

Social considerations should be given priority over short-term gains, as after all
business are run by men and women who at the end of a day’s work go back to their families and therefore they and their sons and daughters too will suffer the negative consequences.

NCW and Trade Unions have sought adequate solutions believing in a win-win outcome
One proposal is the gradual introduction of one extra week per year for four years. Businesses should be urging government to speed up a legal framework for Temping Agencies. They should be negotiating measures to share the costs, to provide schemes and incentives through, for example ETC to support both SMEs and big business in the implementation phase

NCW is fully confident that Government’s commitment to the family at the centre of all national policies will once again be reflected in its final position and give its support in favour of this extension at the Council Meeting to be held, in a few days’ time on 30 November. This proposed directive will be once again debated in the EU Parliament before the end of this year and therefore NCW urges all Maltese MEPs to ensure that their respective political groups will vote in favour of this proposal

Grace Attard
NCW President

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