A Fresh Start for families: more time with our children, greater peace of mind for parents and a better work-life balance

During a Mother’s Day activity in Imġarr, PN Leader Alex Borg announces that a new Nationalist Government will extend maternity leave to six months on full pay, paternity leave to four weeks, and introduce paid leave when children are sick – with self-employed people also benefiting from the same rights

A new Nationalist Government does not want to merely talk about the family. It wants to give families more time. It wants to give parents greater peace of mind. It wants to give dignity to mothers. It wants to give fathers the opportunity to be more present. It wants to ensure a real balance between work and family time.

In a speech during a Mother’s Day activity held in Imġarr, focused on mothers on the day dedicated to them, Partit Nazzjonalista Leader Alex Borg announced another strong package of measures – this time focused on parents, children and work-life balance.

• A Nationalist Government will extend maternity leave from 18 weeks to six months on full pay
  This will give mothers more time with their babies during the first months of life, a crucial period for the child’s development and for the mother’s recovery and peace of mind. This is not a favour, but a right that gives mothers greater dignity and security.
  
  
• A Nationalist Government will extend paternity leave from ten days to four weeks on full pay
  This will allow fathers to be present from the very beginning of their child’s life, and to provide real support to the mother and the family. Raising children is not only the mother’s responsibility, but a shared responsibility between both parents.
  
  
• A Nationalist Government will introduce 15 separate days of Government-paid leave when children are sick
  This will ensure that parents do not have to use their own leave, or worry about what they will do every time their child falls ill. This leave will be flexible, whether for half a day, a full day or consecutive periods.
  
  
• A Nationalist Government will ensure that self-employed people also benefit from these rights
  Because mothers and fathers who are self-employed face the same pressures, responsibilities and needs as every other parent. Time with children should not be a privilege enjoyed by one category of workers, but a right for everyone.
• A Nationalist Government will strengthen the right to flexible working
  Where the nature of the work allows it, workers should be given greater control over their time through flexible working and remote working. This will help parents, reduce stress and traffic, and give A Fresh Start to everyday life.

Alex Borg said these measures continue to build on the proposals that the Partit Nazzjonalista has already presented for families, including a substantial reduction in tax, cheaper electricity bills, new economic niches that offer greater opportunities to workers and strengthen the economy, and the removal of stamp duty – an unfair tax which, once removed, will give A Fresh Start both to parents and to their children.

The PN Leader said that the first two weeks of the campaign have shown a Partit Nazzjonalista that is prepared and, above all, focused on people and their needs. It is clear that the Labour Party was mistaken when it thought it would catch the Partit Nazzjonalista off guard; instead, it was Labour that was caught off guard by the strong proposals it is now trying to copy.

“The Partit Nazzjonalista is ready and determined to be a government that gives everyone a better life in our country, with measures spread across all sectors of society so that no one is left behind. On 30 May, we can make this change. We want to give A Fresh Start to everyone.”

He stressed that a new Nationalist Government wants to go beyond the European minimum on work-life balance and deliver a real leap forward in quality of life.

“This is the leap forward in quality of life. This is the Fresh Start we want to give Maltese and Gozitan families,” said Alex Borg.

The activity began with a discussion in which three mothers – Mikela Fenech Pace, Christabelle Grech and Diane Abela Penza – spoke about the realities faced by mothers and families today. The challenges range from technology, which as parents can sometimes be difficult to keep up with, to the lack of time, including because traffic is eating into people’s days and into their family time. They spoke about the importance of women in politics so that the country can have policies that also reflect the needs of women, and the need for more policies that help women face the different challenges they encounter.

Sarah Bajada also took part, speaking about the everyday life of a mother, the challenges faced by mothers in different realities, her own experience as a mother during an electoral campaign, and the importance of mothers giving themselves credit even when things are not exactly as they would wish. She said that the realities faced by mothers in our country today are different from those faced by mothers of previous generations – the stress caused by traffic, work pressures, mothers raising children on their own, the rising cost of living, climate change and many other challenges that they carry every day. She said this is why we need politics that once again places the person at the centre, so that every person can enjoy a good life with dignity.

The activity was presented by Lisa Spiteri. At the end of the activity, Alex Borg presented flowers to Sarah and to the speakers who took part, as a gesture of appreciation towards all mothers and towards their important role in the family and in society.

The Partit Nazzjonalista wishes all mothers a happy Mother’s Day.

10.05.2026