CTU Media Release

24 October 2012

Reconsider use of veto on paid parental leave Bill

Presenting to the Government Administration Select Committee on Sue Moroney’s Bill to extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks, CTU Economist Bill Rosenberg challenges the government to remove the threat of the veto and give proper consideration to this Bill.

Bill Rosenberg says “it seems that the more carefully the fiscal impacts are examined, the more savings appear. The cost to the government will be much less than the figures on which the original threat of veto was based. The government should reconsider its threat of the veto."

Sheryl Cadman, CTU Women’s Council co-convenor, says “extending PPL is popular – we hear from our members and a broad range of people, that they support extending paid parental leave. Our current paid parental leave is second lowest of the OECD, extending paid parental leave will bring us into line with other countries."

"Business New Zealand's contention today that women return to work with less skills than before they took paid parental leave is both unfounded and inaccurate. Learning to care for a new baby, to multitask, and manage competing demands actually gives workers a variety of skills that can then be applied to their paid work," said Cadman.

"More paid parental leave will help women workers mitigate the financial and career disadvantages that they often face when they take a break to care for babies, and plays a critical role in sustaining women in the workforce," concludes Cadman.

ENDS

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