Bill grants fathers paid paternity leave

The government has drafted legislation granting men two weeks of paternity leave with pay, labour minister Zeta Emilianidou said on Tuesday.

The minister also said the government is mulling introducing a widower’s allowance, in order to eliminate discrimination between the sexes.

In the meantime, another bill is being prepared that would grant special maternity leave to mothers who have to travel abroad for medical treatment, either for themselves or for their children.

MPs were additionally informed that the labour minister is open to the idea of paying full pen-sions to a certain sub-category of conscripts serving in the army in 1974.

At present, persons who opt for early retirement at the age of 63 but who cannot complete the necessary number of pensionable years of service, see their pensions docked by 12 per cent.

MPs, particularly from the Edek party, want these cases to be given a special dispensation so that they receive their pensions in full in recognition of their service in defence of the home-land.

Greens deputy George Perdikis said it was a “scandal” that people who fought in 1974 should not receive a full pension while the government was bringing bills increasing the pensions of Central Bank officials.

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