Back 7-day paternity leave proposal, NGOs urge all MPs

 

The NGOs say paternity leave has already been given to fathers in the public sector.

PETALING JAYA: A group of more than 50 NGOs has urged all MPs to support the proposed implementation of seven days’ paternity leave.

Welcoming a statement from human resources minister M Saravanan stating that he had included the leave in the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2021, the NGOs said most working fathers in the private sector were not entitled to any paternity leave currently.

The government had earlier proposed an amendment to the Employment Act allowing three days’ paid paternity leave, but the NGOs said this was insufficient.

“This new proposed seven-day period will apply to all private sector employees and will be consistent with what fathers in the public sector currently enjoy,” they said in a statement today.

Fathers working in the public sector are entitled to utilise their paternity leave for up to seven days, commencing from the date of their child’s birth.

This move also sends the message that child caregiving is a shared responsibility and the changes to social norms would help women remain in the workforce, the group said.

“Many countries already have paternity leave. According to a 2014 study by the International Labour Organization, 79 out of 167 countries have laws that provide for paternity leave.

“The Philippines and Singapore have two weeks’ paid paternity leave,” the NGOs added. - FMT