Whatever anybody else says, Government's decision to pay from public funds the additional 4 weeks maternity leave to self-employed women is solely due to GRTU. The Prime Minister, Minister for Finance, the Economy and Investment, the Minister for Education, Employment and the Family, the Parliamentary Secretary for Small Businesses and Lands and the Parliamentary Secretary for Consumer, Fair Competition, Local Councils and Public Dialogue know perfectly well and can confirm who lobbied and negotiated hard to ensure that self-employed women are given their rights and the payments due under the new maternity leave regulations.
It was under the initiative of GRTU, under professionally presented arguments, that convinced the cabinet of Ministers to include self-employed women under the category of women entitled for the 4 weeks standard pay once the maternity leave effective under Maltese law is extended to 18weeks.
Others may draw shopping lists and express wishful thinking before each year's budget. GRTU draws the strategy within the framework of Government's financial and fiscal constraints, lists its priority projects, calculates and estimates the financial, economic and social impact of its proposals, and bargains hard to obtain what it justly aspires for. That is why GRTU never stands in front of the media and declares something like "we proposed a lot but Government accepted nothing". We rightly say as we already said, once the implications of budget 2012 are unfolding, that we proposed substantial schemes and Government accepted many of our proposals.
GRTU once again thanks the Government high ranking officials for their cooperation and for having welcomed GRTU's claim. The GRTU also again congratulated all self employed women on this important win of the recognition of their rights.
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