A law published in the Government Gazette on Tuesday upped compulsory paternity leave by five days and also altered a number of other Work Code rules from previous decrees to reinforce maternity and paternity rights.
The alterations will come into force with the next State Budget, as stipulated in the document, which reads: “It is compulsory for fathers to take 15 working days paternity leave, consecutive or staged, in the first 30 days of the infant being born”, five days of which must be consecutive and must be taken immediately after the birth.
The decree law, which stipulates rules and regulations for social protection in parenthood, ups the number of obligatory leave new fathers must take by five days, from the previous ten, to fifteen.
Working mothers and fathers are entitled to an initial parental leave of 120 or 150 consecutive days, which they can share out after the birth, or take off together.
But, the new law adds that if both parents work at the same micro-company, taking initial time off together “depends on the agreement with the
employer.”
It stipulates that employees with children aged under-12, or of any age if they have a disability or chronic diseases, can opt to work part-time or on flexi-time without being penalised in terms of evaluation or career progression.
The changes also offer the possibility of workers with children aged under-three to work from home as long as it is compatible with the employee’s functions and the employer can provide the means to do so.
The law further states that it is now a serious administrative offence, rather than a misdemeanour, if the employer violates their obligation to report within five working days, to the authority with jurisdiction in the area of equal opportunities for men and women, the reason behind not renewing forward contracts of pregnant workers, workers who have recently given birth, or who are breastfeeding.