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Irish Independent

‘Irish working mothers are at a significant financial disadvantage' – unions back calls for full year's maternity leave

It is now official Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) policy, after a motion calling for 52 weeks of maternity pay north and south of the border was adopted by delegates at its biennial conference this week. The motion said current maternity pay arrangements fall short of international best practice. Tabled by the British Fire Brigades Union, it claimed there is a 'postcode lottery' effect where workers in some regions and sectors get markedly inferior benefits. Workers and self-employed individuals in the Republic of Ireland are entitled to a social welfare maternity benefit payment of €289 per week for 26 weeks. Some employers top up the entitlement. Employer group Isme supported measures to provide women with paid maternity leave, but said it should be supported by the social fund. Bulgaria offers approximately 58.6 weeks (410 days) of paid maternity leave 'Obviously a year's salary for someone not attending work would not be sustainable for the vast majority of employers, therefore this type of measure must be underwritten by the social fund,' said chief executive Neil McDonnell. He said Bulgaria offers approximately 58.6 weeks (410 days) of paid maternity leave. Mr McDonnell said 90pc of the mother's full salary is paid from its National Health Insurance Fund. 'Employers would not welcome an increase in PRSI, obviously, but if asked to pay for long-term maternity leave, it would be the only way to do so,' he said. 'A creche with four childminders or a hairdresser with five stylists could not afford to pay someone for a year who was not working. This is very obvious, and everyone including Ictu knows this.' Ictu spokesperson Laura Bambrick said the move would entail a hike in PRSI for workers, the self-employed and employers. She said Ireland compares very favourably to EU countries in terms of the duration of paid maternity leave benefits, at 26 weeks. 'But when comparing the payment rates for maternity benefit, Irish working mothers are at a significant financial disadvantage,' she said. Ms Bambrick said maternity benefit at €289 a week for 26 weeks (€7,514) is equivalent to just over nine weeks' full pay for the average employee nationwide. It is worth just under eight weeks for an employee in Dublin, where average gross pay is higher (€49,500) than the national average (€42,100), according to Revenue data. "For a full-time worker on the minimum wage (€526), maternity benefit replaces little over half their weekly wage,' she said. Unions will be holding their feet to the fire to deliver on these important work-life balance measures Ms Bambrick welcomed Programme for Government commitments on pay-related family leave. 'Unions will be holding their feet to the fire to deliver on these important work-life balance measures for working families,' she said. A Department of Children, Disabliity and Equality spokesperson said family leave entitlements have increased significantly over the past years. She said a 'Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families' commits that by 2028, parents in Ireland will be supported to look after their babies at home for the whole of their first year through a combination of paid family leave schemes. She said the combined durations of maternity, paternity and parent's leave and benefit now equate to 46 weeks' paid leave for a two-parent family.