- People Before Profit to launch a new Bill this morning at 11am in Buswells’ Hotel to convert existing unpaid Parental Leave to leave with pay
- Unpaid Parental Leave discriminates against families on low pay and reinforces the Gender Pay Gap and the Care Gap
Speaking ahead of the launch of the Paid Parental Leave 2024, People Before Profit Social Protection Spokesperson, Paul Murphy TD said:
“With the school summer holidays well under way, thousands of hard pressed parents are taking unpaid Parental Leave from their jobs. Mortgages, rent and bills don’t get any smaller over the summer but many families’ pay packets do, as they are forced to take completely unpaid Parental Leave to cope with childcare.
Parents are currently entitled to 26 weeks of Parental Leave before their child reaches the age of 12. However, this leave is completely unpaid, which means many families cannot afford to take it, or suffer a substantial loss of income when they do. Unpaid leave also reinforces the gender pay gap and the care gap because the lower paid partner, who is usually a woman, is far more likely to take it.”
Hazel de Nortúin. People Before Profit Dublin City Councillor and general election candidate for Dublin South Central added,
“People Before Profit are launching the Paid Parental Leave Bill 2024 to convert existing unpaid Parental Leave to leave with pay and enable all parents to take leave from their jobs with no loss of income to look after their children when they are small. This will bring us closer into line with EU countries like Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden, which all offer between 7 and 14 months of well paid parental leave.”
Orla O’Connor, the Director of the National Women’s Council, who will be speaking at the press conference said:
“Reforming and expanding family leave entitlements is vital in supporting women and families, reducing the gender pay gap, and recognising care. The National Women’s Council has long campaigned for parental leave to be paid and is once again calling for this in Budget 2025. Very few women, lone parents in particular, can afford to take unpaid leave. Providing parents with paid parental leave would go a long way to improving gender equality and work-life balance for all parents.”