The Verkhovna Rada's specialized committee has recommended that the parliament adopt as a basis the draft new Labor Code No. 14386 submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers. The document envisages a number of changes to labor legislation, including a change in the term of paternity leave.
Will maternity leave be reduced?
According to the draft code, paternity leave may be reduced from the current three years to four months, i.e., it will be 9 times shorter. This provision has been criticized by trade unions, which have stated the risk of deteriorating social guarantees for workers. Trade union organizations emphasized that such a provision may contradict the Constitution of Ukraine, which prohibits the narrowing of rights and guarantees already granted.
The Ministry's position
At the same time, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine assures that the draft Labor Code does not reduce the paternity leave for children under 3 years of age, which is preserved with a job guarantee.
"The 4 months mentioned in the publication relate to a new additional paid leave for parents, which is introduced in accordance with European standards and does not replace the current three-year leave," the Ministry told the Ukrainian News agency.
What is the duration of maternity leave in different countries?
In different countries, the duration of maternity and paternity leave varies significantly. If you count maternity leave together with paternity leave, Germany, France, and russia have the longest models in this selection - the total period can reach up to 3 years. At the same time, the actual maternity leave in these countries is shorter: 14 weeks in Germany, 16 weeks in France, and 140 calendar days in russia. This is followed by Canada - up to 78 weeks, Poland - 61 weeks in total, the United Kingdom - up to 52 weeks, Denmark - about 50 weeks.
The United States has the least guarantees in this selection. At the federal level, there is no guaranteed paid maternity leave for private sector employees, and for some employees, only up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave are available.
It is worth reminding, that in 2023, the Verkhovna Rada allowed pregnant women to take leave later than 70 (90) days before the expected date of delivery and proportionally increase the postpartum part of the leave.
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