The Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) is hoping to negotiate for increased paternity leave even as the Government of Antigua and Barbuda is looking at legislation to make it law.
Presently, paternity leave is not legislated, only maternity leave is; but the issue is being pushed by the ABWU and a number of private sector organisations have already implemented it.
During a recent edition of the “The Workers Podcast” an online informative programme hosted by the ABWU, President Kem Riley said many unionised workers now enjoy a paternity leave benefit.
Fathers are given only five days to spend time with their newborn and spouses; however, the union is hoping to increase this — through negotiations — to one month in the near future, Riley said.
“Paternity leave is not in law, so what the union would have done in negotiations we negotiated to five days, one week. We are not able to pass that [number of days] because employers do not understand that the father cannot gel with a child if they are at work and the baby is born and they are not there.
“Sometimes the mother wants something because she did not buy something when she is going up to the hospital and she has to call a family member, or he [the father] has to leave work, so five days is a start. But we are hoping that with discussions we can move to at least a month; at least a month home with that child would let that father gel,” Riley said.
The ABWU president continued, “in our society fathers are being bashed, they are not there and the reason why they are not there sometimes is because they are not intimately there at the birth of the child so that they form that bond”.
Meanwhile, Minister of Labour Sir Steadroy Benjamin promised to speak more extensively on the matter, but said that “the government is looking at that particular aspect [paternity leave] of our labour law since we are mindful that the laws must be applied equally and equitable across the board”.
Sir Steadroy said the issue of paternity leave is being looked at by the National Labour Board and that recommendations will be made shortly.
“If they are not yet ready, I will talk to the Labour Commissioner and get all the stakeholders on board to give effect to that particular progressive bit of development. The government supports it and we think it ought to be done,” he added.
Even though the ABWU has been leading the way as it pertains to paternity leave, Benjamin said the labour minister has the responsibility of leading discussions on these matters “as far as the government is concerned.”
He noted that he will be holding discussions with the Labour Commissioner as the government pursues this matter.
“The government is applying the law equally and equitably across the board as we believe that all persons, male and female, should enjoy the same rights and privileges,” the labour minister said.
In 2022, an amendment was made to the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Code, Cap. 27 giving effect to the Maternity Protection Convention 2000 which was ratified by Antigua and Barbuda.
Section C20 of the principal Act (Antigua and Barbuda Labour Code, Cap. 27) was amended by the repeal of subsection (2) allowing “A female employee with a minimum of 12 months unbroken service in her employment is entitled whenever she is pregnant to a maternity leave of at least fourteen weeks”.
Before the Act was amended, women received 12 weeks (three months) maternity leave.
