The Labour Party campaign pledge to increase the level of paid parental leave is welcome news for thousands of expectant parents says NZCTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges. “Offering an additional 4 weeks of paid leave for the non-primary partner will mean that families will be able to spend more time together during an incredibly important time”.

Ansell-Bridges said “The CTU has long campaigned for extra support for families. We know that many parents want to spend time with their partners during the earliest days, but are prevented from doing so due to financial and work pressures. Overseas this sort of support is common and has helps to engage partners further”.

This CTU is also welcoming the Labour Party’s commitment to reviewing paid parental leave settings after the election. “Changes such as supporting parents through maintaining kiwisaver contributions are welcome, but we need to further to ensure that parents have all the support they need. The CTU has called for New Zealand to adopt international best practice and bring forward a model like that in Iceland, where parents receive 39 weeks paid parental leave support”.

Ansell-Bridges said “Paid parental leave is such an important issue in New Zealand. We hope that the need for additional support for parents should be above politics. We look forward to working with whoever is in office after the election to make sure that additional support is available for New Zealand workers”.

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