New law on maternity leave planned

A GOVERNMENT bill that will improve maternity leave laws has been prepared by the Labour Ministry.

According to the head of the Social Insurance Department, Theophanis Tryphonos, the proposed law is currently under evaluation by the Legal Services, after which it will be sent to the House for approval.

“The law for maternity leave, as well as the law for maternity benefits will change,” said Tryphonos, explaining that the move is part of a general plan to amend social insurance laws.

He explained that currently, a mother was entitled to 18 weeks paid maternity leave, under the condition that the relevant applications were submitted before the baby’s delivery. If an application was made after the delivery, she would be paid for 16 weeks.

Under the new bill, a mother will be entitled to 18 weeks paid leave, without conditions.

“There are many cases now where babies are being born prematurely and need to be kept in an incubator for some time,” said Tryphonos. “In this case, under the current law, mothers are not entitled to any added benefits on top of their 18-week maternity pay. But with this proposed law, if a baby is born prematurely or is sick and needs to remain in hospital, for every 21 days spent in hospital, the mother will be entitled to one week’s maternity benefits.”

He added: “For example, if a baby is in hospital for nine weeks, she will be entitled to three weeks’ pay; meaning one third.”

The bill is ready and is soon expected to reach Parliament for evaluation.

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