Changes to Parental Leave Act do not go far enough

Published: Monday, January 31, 2005

NWCI has welcomed the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill, which is being debated in the Seanad this week; however it also represents a missed opportunity for the Government who have once again ignored the calls for paid parental leave.

'The Bill brings forward welcome changes to the Parental Leave Act 1998, widening eligibility for parental leave and making it more flexible for parents to take up the leave' stated Therese Murphy Chairperson of the NWCI. 'Giving parents the right to take the leave in separate blocks will encourage more parents to avail of the leave and raising the maximum age of the an eligible child from five years to eight years will also encourage parents to take their leave entitlement' she continued. 'Parental Leave is a critical measure to allow parents balance care of children with working life. Measures to increase the provision of family friendly policies are particularly welcomed by women as it is predominately women who have the responsibility within the family for organising childcare care arrangements' she stated.

'However this amendment is a small step forward and the NWCI is strongly critical of the Governments failure to introduce paid parental leave. The Amendment to the Parental Leave Act was a missed opportunity to bring Ireland on par with the majority of EU nations and introduce a paid parental leave entitlement similar to Maternity Benefit' continued Ms Murphy. The failure of the Government to introduce a payment falls most heavily on low paid workers, the majority of whom are women, who cannot afford to take 14 weeks from their employment unpaid. This is another example of the Government's policies which have the effect of increasing inequalities between rich and poor in our society' she concluded.