Women who suffer an early miscarriage will now be able to seek paid leave under new legislation set to come into effect.
As things stand, female employees have an entitlement to full maternity leave in the case of a stillbirth but only after 23 weeks.
The approved Pregnancy Loss Leave Bill, which was proposed by Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke, will now offer five days of paid leave to women who experience a miscarriage before that point.
Commenting on the introduction of the bill, Minister Burke described how the current threshold ‘creates a cliff edge in the law, whereby State supports become available after that point, but no support exists for women who experience miscarriage before the cut-off point.’
‘By introducing a statutory entitlement to leave for pregnancy loss, we are strengthening workers’ rights in a meaningful and compassionate way – ensuring that employees are supported and treated with dignity at a time of great personal difficulty.’
‘This measure creates a more inclusive and responsive employment rights system,’ he stated per RTÉ.
The leave to be paid by the employer will be at 70 per cent of the employee’s daily rate and will be capped at €110 a day. A medical cert will be required to avail of the leave.
The entitlement will also require a 13-week service requirement.
It’s currently not clear when the Pregnancy Loss Leave Bill will come into effect, but it won’t be before the summer recess, although the Minister is aiming for it to pass through the Houses of the Oireachtas as quickly as possible,
While the bill has been hailed as a win for women, Labour leader Ivana Bacik TD has stated that the government’s plan is not ‘sufficiently generous, compassionate, or inclusive.’
Northern Ireland introduced miscarriage leave in April where both the woman and her partner are entitled to two weeks of protected leave and statutory pay at a rate of £194.32 (€225).
