Three bills introducing additional paid leave for parents whose babies require neonatal care, the expansion of redundancy protections, and carer’s leave received Royal Assent on 24 May 2023. While the carer’s leave and the expanded redundancy protection provisions entered into effect on 6 April 2024, the neonatal leave is expected to come into force in April 2025.
Law No. 4 of 2024 on Maternal and Child Welfare in the First 1,000 Days of Life Phase (the “Law”), which aims at reducing the country’s stunting rate by improving the welfare of mothers and their children, entered effect on 2 July 2024.
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 passed the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 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.