Increase in maternity, paternity leave comes into force |16 May 2018

Effective yesterday, May 15, maternity leave has increased from 14 to 16 weeks and paternity leave has doubled, from five to 10 days.

This follows an announcement to that effect President Danny Faure made in his State-of-the-Nation address earlier this year.

In a meeting with the press yesterday afternoon at her office at Independence House annex, the Minister for Employment, Immigration and Civil Status, Myriam Télémaque said all mothers who gave birth on May 15 and onwards will benefit from the increase and so will fathers whose babies were born on and after that date.

With regard to paternity leave, Minister Télémaque stressed that in order for a father to benefit, his name should be registered on the baby’s birth certificate as proof he is the father of the child and he will qualify for leave only once a year.

Minister Télémaque explained that this aims to encourage fathers to support their wives and partners at this time of need as well as provide them more time to bond with their newborn babies.

The coming into effect yesterday of this amendment in maternity and paternity leave, coincided with the International Day of Families.