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LAST UPDATE | 11 Jun 2020
TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said that he would give consideration to extending maternity leave by three months to help families during a time when childcare provision is lacking.
A petition calling for the three-month extension has been signed by over 25,000 people. The uncertainty of the childcare sector and unavailability of support from grandparents, who are particularly vulnerable in this crisis, is the reasoning behind a request for this extension.
A group of TDs, lead by People-Before-Profit TD Bríd Smith, asked the Taoiseach in the Dáil today to consider the maternity leave extension; Smith estimates that the three-month extension would cost €134 million.
In response, Varadkar said: “I will give it consideration, and I mean that.”
He says he will consider it over the next couple of days, but added that he had concerns that legislation may be required and you can’t bring in retrospective legislation.
But he said that he would give it “due consideration” as he can see the benefits of extending leave for those who have had a new born over the last couple of months.
At 11am today, a group of TDs were presented with the petition by women who are seeking the extension of maternity leave for three months due to the Covid-19 crisis.
The Labour Party, Sinn Féin, and a group of independent TDs including Danny Healy-Rae and Michael Fitzmaurice, are among the TDs who support a People-Before-Profit motion on the three-month extension.
The motion reads:
That Dáil Éireann notes that, due to the public health emergency, parents of young babies find themselves facing particular challenges, and that there is an added difficulty in securing childcare for new children.
That Dáil Éireann supports a temporary extension of maternity benefit from six to nine months for mothers whose maternity benefit claim expires between the start of March and end of September, if they wish to avail of it.
The Irish government has already made changes to allow women returning from maternity leave to avail of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) and the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).
Parents on maternity and paternity leave, and people on illness benefit were not entitled to the two support payments (or in some cases, they were not eligible for their full pay package) as the application required a payslip from January or February, and for the employee to be on the payroll on 29 February.
This was after the National Women’s Council and other groups called the exclusion discriminatory and unfair.
At a briefing today, Liz Canavan announced that the maternity leave exclusion changes had been made to the TWSS, and people could apply for it now by filling out a short form.
Around 20,000 women avail of maternity leave benefits every year; this includes 26 weeks of basic maternity leave where mothers can avail of the Maternity Benefit; and an option of 16 weeks of additional maternity leave.
- with reporting from Christina Finn.
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Why? I would have thought maternity leave time off was long enough already, that they’d have had plenty of bond time with the new babes and with what I understand is a drop in income (for most people) they’d be going back as soon as they could.
@Lydia McLoughlin: The issue isn’t about not enough time to bond, but the real issue that there are no childcare facilities open. What if your company expects you back to work following maternity leave, do you quit your job or leave the baby to fend for itself at home for 10 hours due to no childcare?
@Lydia McLoughlin: read the article before commenting, it’s no hard.
@me: its ‘no’ hard to spellcheck before commenting either.
@Lydia McLoughlin: If you’re going to use headstrong arrogance as an argument, it’s important to highlight that your own sentence is grammatically incorrect in several instances. But it’s irrelevant as it’s not a spelling or grammar competition. It also seems you’re not speaking from experience, rather giving an opinion on something with which you have no experience. Ireland offers one of the lowest maternity leaves in the world in the developed world, and no paternity leave at all. Estonia offers over 1.5 years maternity leave, and 4 weeks for the father. Are they wrong? It’s like you’re arguing against people having too much fun at a party.
@P Mc G: you’re comment re lack of experience is for starters is wrong I have plenty of experience. Why don’t we just go back to the old days where one parent stayed at home and the other got additional taxes and there was no moaning about how long people got on maternity leave at the expense of the employer. Children are a choice. As for Estonia you can make comparisons to all the countries you want but without the backup of that countries economic circumstances to back it up its largely irrelevant and not exactly sustainable for the employer.
@Alan Wright: childcare is a separate issue to maternity leave. That effects all families with children not just those on maternity leave now.
@Lydia McLoughlin: my phone unfortunately autocorrected not to no. Did yours autocorrect you to obnoxious ill informed mouth piece?
@Lydia McLoughlin: ah yes why doesn’t one of the parents who possibly spent years working to get to where they are in their career just give it up. Sure why bother going to college or putting any effort into your career at all if you’re just going to quit to stay home when you have a baby.
@P Mc G: There is paternity leave in Ireland. 2 weeks.
@Lydia McLoughlin: Because modern Irish families rely on two incomes to pay a mortgage these days.
@Alan Wright:
Their not exactly raised and able to fend for themselves at 9 months old either so extending it for the 3 months is pointless. It’s only covering over the cracks of the real issue. Giving the 3 months extra would only make the government look family friendly but when the plaster has to come off after the 9 months then the issue would remain.
No childcare facilities.
@me:
@Jurga Moylan: pointless? Offering working mothers more time with newborns is not pointless
@Shazam37:
In terms of the bigger picture it is absolutely pointless. They may as well leave us stay at home with them until they turn 18 unless they fix the bigger issue. Sort out the child care. I’ve 3 kids, 3, 7,14. I’m speaking from experience.
@NotMyIreland: agreed, especially if creche fees are involved. I have one young teenager and another slightly older. I too had to do this but this eases over time…. or rather should. There have been many mistakes in the past some made by ourselves e.g. borrowing more than we should, indeed being allowed to borrow too much by the banks but we also must be held accountable.
@Jurga Moylan: ive two. It’s not pointless at all. More time with your new born is perfectly worthwhile.
Your argument is basically “it’s all or nothing” – and happy to settle for nothing. My family will take the extra few months thanks
@Shazam37:
No you’re still missing the point. It’ll go on for years and years unless we take a stand and say this isn’t good enough. Your kids will one day hopefully have their own kids and they’ll still be having this very fight if we don’t sort it now instead of kicking the can down the road.
@Lydia McLoughlin: I gave birth to my son in March, for various reasons he needs physiotherapy and medical care both which I have been getting over the phone. That’s not much use to a screaming newborn and worried mother locked in a house for 3 months.
@Annette Crudden: You have not been “locked in a house for three months” Nobody has.
@Justin Gillespie: Were you outside the door watching me you were? You don’t know my situation so don’t be so offended by it.
@Justin Gillespie: perhaps the medical care mentioned also necessitated cocooning, so quite possible Annette hasn’t been out of the house in 3 months. You don’t know the persons circumstances
@Justin Gillespie: do you know the families circumstances? Do you even know what it’s like to have a newborn baby? I’m guessing no as if you did you wouldn’t post such idiotic comments.
@Justin Gillespie: listen mate…pandemic or not.with a newborn…..sometimes you do feel locked in the house. Unless u have recently given birth..no actually given birth at all you do not know a thing about this.
@Annette Crudden: hope you and your lil one are doin ok x
@Lisa Quinn: Thank you Lisa x
@Justin Gillespie: though…maybe we have just taken your bait to wind people up cuz we are vunerable from the 6 minutes sleep .
@Justin Gillespie: you have no idea of this ladies circumstances please do not share such ignorant comments
Why not allow the option of the father taking the extra leave? Let the mother get back into the workforce and doing some good in reducing the gender earnings gap.
Makes sense!
So mother’s who have had longer with their new babies than expected want longer still? Maternity leave was envisaged to allow women time to recover from giving birth and spend time bonding with their child. They have been able to do that. It wasn’t intended to provide them extra time to show off the new baby to family (which of course they should normally do and it’s heartbreaking for families not to be able to meet the new baby but that that doesn’t have to be done during the working week so could be done even if mum returns to work) or to attend coffee mornings with other mums. The whole country is hurting while in lockdown – socially, mentally, and financially. This petition is frivolous given the shared burden we all have to carry.
@Sara Davis: wow just wow, time off to show off your baby and attend coffee mornings. Are you for real? Obviously a person with no kids or one who stayed at home to raise them but an resents the world for it. The issue here is there is no childcare available right now and each provider has a lot to decide before reopening but don’t let the facts get in the way of your bitter perspective.
@Sara Davis: what a load Of garbage. Who knew the level of ignorance still prevalent in the Irish public.
Showing off the baby? That’s what you think the extra time is for? Jesus. The mind boggles.
@Sara Davis: wow
@Sara Davis: lot of women hating on the their fellow women on this. That’s the spirit .drag others down to tour shitty miserable mood
You got the time off! The fact that it was during a pandemic is irrelevant!
@Dino Manning: time off? Your ignorance is showing.
@Dino Manning: time off?
Clueless
I thought these mothers were now entitled to the PUP when maternity leave was finished? At €350pw this is worth more than staying on maternity benefits?
Or am I missing something here?
@Vic’s Burd: if they were due to go back during lockdown yes. Their maternity benefits finished and gave no wages or PUP.
@Annette Crudden: that has since been changed, they can claim these and backdate the claims to when maternity leave ended.
This new proposal acts to keep them on paid maternity leave at a lower amount.
The longer the better.
I truly believe we need to expand the concept of maternity leave to protect women. Unless this leave is transferrable any further extension of it will cause women of a certain age bracket to be adjudicated differently in the workplace.
@hello: I agree about expanding maternity leave.6 months seems wrong to leave your baby.and before I get hopped on..its not about time off work..its about attachment and the fact I’m going blind with tiredness! Not to mention mammys who choose extended breast feeding.
@Lisa Quinn: why not just tsfr your tax allowance to your partner and stay at home. All the bonding time you need and no creche fees to worry about.
@Lydia McLoughlin: average worker needs to have 2-3 kids (approx 2 grand cost) in childcare to make it worthwhile to give up employment – and even then you have the career cost to the woman when they do want to get back into the workforce they will be way behind on the career ladder and pension contributions etc.
@Stuart: I don’t necessarily agree. Depends on circumstances. If you are on a 36k salary and childcare is 2k/mth income ‘very’ roughly is 10k. With spend on travel parking (if car) etc not to mention the stress the stay at home person transfers their allowances the other earner makes up maybe 4k of this 10k so only down 6k. Again extremely rough figures but depends on circumstances.
@Lydia McLoughlin: pick a low salary to suit your argument?
Average full time working salary in Ireland is €47,596 or approx €2700 net per month so €5400 for a couple.
Average rent in Dublin €2000 approx.
Average mortgage on 3 bed semi €1500 approx.
Average crèche is €1000 for 5 days.
Not to mention the significant hit to the parent who stays at home’s career prospect and pension (usually the mother).
It’s catch 22. The system is rigged so that both parents these days have to work. Mothers are still doing more in the home out of habit AND a full time job.
Also I think your comment above about children being a “choice” is fairly uneducated. Reproduction is a societal necessity and should be assisted, encouraged and facilitated for the betterment of all.
@Stuart: €36k is hardly low… €47k I would nor think is your average woman’s salary!! As for your ignorant ‘fairly uneducated’ comment you’re one arrogant individual. It IS a choice. No one forces you to have children and that’s a fact!!
@Lydia McLoughlin: 36k isn’t a low Salary? Don’t know what planet you’re living on but you won’t get far on that on this one.
@Lydia McLoughlin: I know plenty of women who earn €47k+
@Lydia McLoughlin: You are clueless to today’s reality. I guess your either retired a few years with kids raised 30 years ago, if you chose to have them. Or you have lived a very privileged life until now. That’s how your coming across anyway.
@Sam Harms: good for you Sam but its not a normal salary for a lot of women €36k is an average salary… a better average than 47k for women I would think
@NotMyIreland: wrong on both counts. Just live in the real life not a utopian one
@NotMyIreland: nowhere near retirement age and work very hard for what I have actually.
@Lydia McLoughlin: just because it’s not a normal salary for a lot of women doesn’t mean 47k isnt the average. Yes there are women who earn below it but there are plenty of women who earn way above it, hence it being the average.
@Lydia McLoughlin: I do apologise, as I said it was a guess. Have you kids can I ask? Feel free not to answer
@NotMyIreland: I do, two
@Sam Harms: Of course but if 10 women earn €100k and 10 women earn €30k your will be €65k… I’m sure the €30k would have something to say too.
@Lydia McLoughlin: You seem seriously out of touch with reality for the majority of parents and modern Irish families. Your lucky to have it so good. Well done on the hard work to get there. Apologies again for any assumptions.
@Lydia McLoughlin: now you’re getting personal which reflects more on you than me gladly. Having childcare is a choice, yes, but it’s a requirement for the human race, for society and for the economy … AND THAT’S A FACT.
@Stuart: We’ll just agree to disagree shall we. I don’t feel anything I’ve said reflects badly on me at all but thats your opinion. Bye Stuart.
@Lydia McLoughlin: because lydia I am the higher earner but that aside I’d rather my family didnt starve to death on one income.its the little things ye know.
Has someone found the SFDUP money tree.
@DeWitt: Yes actually. It’s in exactly The same place FFFG found the money tree to pay Banks and the public sector 150 billion.
Before anyone else gets on the bandwagon please read the bit where there’s no childcare for NEW babies? My son is registered with a creche already so he’ll have his place as soon as the creche reopens. someone with a 6 month old baby has not been able to register their child with a creche or childminder who are unlikely to take on a new baby anyway. Also by the age of 6 months my son had already needed days in hospital, x- rays, ultrasounds and physiotherapy. He’s now a perfectly healthy little boy. There are numerous babies (and new mothers) out there with common but urgent issues needing health care they couldn’t get during lockdown. 3 months to sort health concerns and childcare isn’t too much to ask.
What about extending carers leave for people looking after sick sometimes terminally ill family members. It’s always about childcare, maternity leave, the fathers getting maternity leave. Next it will be people who have kids shouldn’t have to work at all. Sickening
@Irisheyes: small hint – every time you start and argument with “what about” – you’ll never be taken seriously.
And judging by the content of your post – rightly so.
@Shazam37: I wasn’t starting an argument. I was trying to point out that there are other people who need help. There are people with sick parents, sick kids, people whose wives or husbands have had accidents and require care 24/7.
Every time you look it’s all about childcare, crèches, school fees, maternity leave, maternity leave for dads etc.
have your say