Women Welcome Paid Parental Leave Changes

The National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) today commended the Government for extending paid parental leave so that it will, in two years time, meet the International Labour Organisation (ILO) minimum standard of 14 weeks paid parental leave. NCWNZ also supports the reduction in the qualifying period from 12-months to 6 months, which will remove some of the pressure women wanting to have children have had to contend with in the workplace.

“There is still some way to go to redress all the anomalies”, said Beryl Anderson, National President of NCWNZ. “Addressing the needs of the self- employed, so that they can be eligible for paid parental leave as long as they can provide concrete proof of complying with the definition of self-employed, also requires the Government’s action.”

NCWNZ supports in general the extension of PPL to self employed people and that all employees should be eligible regardless of hours worked, the number of employers during the qualifying period, or the number of jobs worked concurrently.

“Paid Parental Leave benefits babies, mothers, families, employers and society in general”, said Anderson. “However there needs to be equal support for parents who choose to stay at home to care full-time for their children.”

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