Mothers outside the Dáil once again to demand maternity leave extension

There has still been no confirmation on a maternity leave extension.

Last month, then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that he would consider extending maternity leave in Ireland by several additional weeks. This came after mothers presented a petition to the Dail signed by over 25,000 people. Since then there has been no word on if there will be any follow through with the maternity leave extension, especially now that we have a new Taoiseach. Yesterday a group of new mothers who formed the Extend Maternity Campaign met outside the Dail to demand a three month extension to maternity leave, as they've had no response from ministers. Paula Solan, one of the women leading the campaign said;

"There was an initial positive response from then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, on June 11 2020, after we handed in a petition signed by 28,000 people, calling for this extension to maternity leave and pay. There is a real urgency to this situation, as many of the women impacted are due back at work in the next week or two. We are already hearing from women being forced to resign from their jobs due to the lack of childcare available for this age group. We’re calling on Minister Helen McEntee and Minister Heather Humphries to agree to this extension of three months as a matter of urgency."

Women who were on maternity leave during Covid-19 did not have access to the usual supports, and digital campaigning organisation Uplift and NWCI are supporting their calls for a once-off extension to maternity leave and pay by three months.