Leave Entitlement in a Nutshell
An amendment proposed by the Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela in relation to the Malta annual leave entitlement of workers has been accepted by Cabinet and subsequently approved by Parliament at the start of 2021.
This amendment to the National Holidays and Other Public Holidays Act, Chapter 252 of the Laws of Malta, has introduced the notion whereby every public holiday that falls on a Saturday or a Sunday is added to workers’ annual leave entitlement. Thus, annual leave entitlement shall differ annually depending on when such public holidays fall.
By way of guidance:
In 2021, an employee with a 40-hour working week is entitled to 216 hours of paid annual leave; that is, 192 hours basic leave entitlement + 24 hours in lieu of the three Public Holidays that fall on weekends.
In 2022, an employee with a 40-hour working week is entitled to 224 hours of paid annual leave; that is, 192 hours basic leave entitlement + 32 hours in lieu of the four Public Holidays that fall on weekends.
In 2023, an employee with a 40-hour working week is entitled to 208 hours of paid annual leave; that is, 192 hours basic leave entitlement + 16 hours in lieu of the two Public Holidays that fall on weekends.
In 2024, an employee with a 40-hour working week is entitled to 240 hours of paid annual leave; that is, 192 hours basic leave entitlement + 48 hours in lieu of the six Public Holidays that fall on weekends.
The basic Malta annual leave entitlement for whole-time employees remains that of 192 hours annually.
Where in the case of full-time employees, a public holiday, falls on a weekly day of rest, other than a Sunday, to which such employee is entitled, such employee shall be entitled to an additional day of vacation leave during the calendar year when such public holiday so falls on a weekly day of rest or on a Sunday in respect of each such public holiday. The same applies to public holidays falling on one’s sick leave on pay or special leave with pay.
Part Time Employees and Full-Time Working Reduced Hours Employees
Any individual working less than the normal hours of work of a comparable full-time employee shall similarly enjoy all entitlements due to comparable full-time employees on a pro-rata basis. The latter shall be calculated on the weekly hours worked, and in proportion to the number of normal weekly hours worked by a full-time employee performing the same work.
