Ireland is the worst in Europe when it comes to paid maternity leave

A shocking report released today by the Trade Union Congress, has shown that Ireland is at the bottom of the European league table when it comes to paid maternity leave.

The Trade Union Congress, the umbrella organisation of Britain's trade unions, has found Ireland is the worst country in Europe in relation to paid maternity leave. Responding to the report, the National Women’s Council of Ireland has called for the Irish government to address the fact that the majority of low paid, precarious workers are women, and increase supports for low paid female workers. The director of the NWCI, Orla O’Connor, says that the report comes as no surprise,

"Although the duration of maternity leave in Ireland has increased to 26 weeks, maternity pay has not increased with it, and employers are not obliged to cover any period of maternity pay. While public sector employers, and some private sector employers will continue to pay an employee in full while she is on maternity leave, the vast majority of lower-paid jobs, particularly those that come with precarious contracts, do not come with contractual maternity pay. When you look at maternity pay provisions across Europe, Ireland stands out as having a relatively long period of maternity leave but a low amount of pay."

Ms O’Connor says that some women are forced to return to work earlier than they would wish, because they simply can't afford to stay off,

"This is a critical issue for low paid workers. Almost three-quarters of those on the minimum wage are women, and half of all women workers earn €20,000 or less a year."

Under the Maternity Protection Acts of 1994 and 2004, Irish law states that your entitlement to pay during maternity leave depends on the individual terms of your contract of employment. Irish employers are not obliged to pay women who are on maternity leave but workers qualify for maternity benefit from the Department of Social Protection if they have sufficient PRSI contributions. The National Women's Council say that the issue is now pressing,

"The government is in the midst of developing a new National Women’s Strategy; addressing the fact that the majority of low paid workers are women, and increasing supports for these women workers must be central to its development."

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