Employment Law Explained

Parental Leave

All employees who have completed one year's service with their employer and who have, or expect to have, responsibility for a child are entitled to 13 weeks' unpaid Parental Leave to care for the child. Do not confuse parental leave with paternal leave.

In the case of the mother, this can be in addition to Maternity Leave.

The 13 weeks' Parental Leave applies up to the child's fifth birthday (a child's 18th birthday in cases of disability).

The 13 weeks' parental leave MUST be taken in blocks or multiples of one week. 21 days' notice should be given by the employee to the employer. A maximum of 4 weeks per year may be taken by an employee and an employer can postpone an employee's right to take Parental Leave because of business requirements.

Such postponement cannot take place immediately after the child's birth.
All employees are allowed unpaid leave in case of emergency involving a dependant. A dependant can be defined as a child, spouse, parent etc.