Further progress on parental leave deal

New rights increasing parental leave from three to four months have moved a step closer following the meeting of the EU council of ministers at the start of this month. The ministers, who represent EU member state governments, endorsed the agreement on parental leave reached by unions and employers at EU level in June (see Workplace Report July 2009, page 8).

Member states are under no obligation to provide for the leave to be paid, but one of the changes in the new rules is that mothers can take no more than three months, leaving one month for the father. The new arrangements will apply from early 2012.