The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy has announced a bill extending maternity leave for parents of premature babies and parents of babies requiring hospitalisation.
The purpose of extending maternity leave is to compensate employee-parents for time spent with their child in the hospital.
Additional maternity leave will be granted at the rate of one week of additional maternity leave for each week of the child's stay in the hospital (i.e. 'one week for one week'), with a maximum of up to 15 weeks or up to eight weeks, respectively, depending on the conditions outlined in the following table.
This additional leave is optional; parents can choose whether or not to take it. The additional maternity leave, if taken, must start immediately after the regular maternity leave and must be taken in one piece.
Takeaway for employers
The bill is planned to be adopted by the Council of Ministers in the third quarter of 2024.
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