UPDATE: From 1 July 2024, government-paid combined gender-neutral parental leave will increase from 20 weeks to 22 weeks. Parental leave entitlements will increase again to 24 weeks from July 2025 and 26 weeks from July 2026.
On 22 June 2023, the Australian government passed the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Bill 2023 expanding unpaid parental leave entitlements to ease leave restrictions on employee couples.
The Spanish government passed legislation transposing the European Union (EU) Directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers into local law. Royal Decree Law 5/2023 entered into effect on 30 June 2023 and introduces, among other provisions, unpaid parental care leave, paid force majeure leave, and extensions to current carers’ leave provisions and other existing leaves.
The Irish government recently approved the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023 which introduces a right to request flexible working arrangements, five days of government-paid domestic violence leave, and five days of unpaid carer’s leave (called “serious medical care leave”).
The Bill is currently in its third reading before the Irish parliament and is expected to enter into force in the near term (the exact date is yet to be determined).
Effective 22 June 2023, Canada has extended the maximum duration of child death and disappearance leave for federally regulated employees. Effective 30 May 2020, Manitoba has increased bereavement leave and added miscarriage leave.
Three bills proposing additional, paid leave for parents whose babies require neonatal care, expansion of redundancy protections, and Carer’s leave received Royal Assent on 24 May 2023.
Law no. 13/2023 amending portions of Portugal’s labor law entered in to force on 1 May 2023
and contains provisions expanding parental leave entitlements and the right to request telework arrangements for parents of young or disabled children.
The Polish Government introduced a bill that expands parental leave entitlements and introduces a right to flexible work arrangements for parents of young children and carers, as well as
carers leave and emergency leave for all employees.
The amendments aim to align Poland with the European Union Directive No. 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers.
The Bill is in the initial legislative stages and still needs to be passed by both houses of the Polish parliament and signed by the President before it becomes law. The exact implementation date is not yet known.
The Spanish parliament recently passed new legislation introducing multiple changes to menstrual and reproductive health legislation including a government-paid temporary sick leave for female employees who suffer severe menstrual pain. The new leave (also called “menstrual leave”) may be taken for as long as needed so long as the temporary medical incapacity is approved by a doctor.
The legislation will enter into effect three months after its publication in the Official Gazette (the exact publication date is still yet to be determined).
The government of Guernsey recently approved a secondary pensions policy requiring the mandatory, automatic enrollment of employees into either a government-facilitated defined-contribution scheme (Your Island Pension- YIP) or a qualified, employer-sponsored pension plan.
Contributions will start at 1% for both the employer and the employee. The contribution rate will automatically increase annually until it reaches 3.5% for employers and 6.5% for employees in 2031.
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