*[Enwl-eng] Men on parental leave!
ENWLine
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Four months at home with your kid? For most men, it feels like a pipe dream. But this could change, thanks to a new EU law! But ministers of some EU countries are blocking it. Tell our politicians that we demand fair and well-paid leave for both mothers and fathers! |
Hi,
4 months + 10 days of paid leave for new fathers! This is one of the proposals in a new EU directive on work/life balance which is being negotiated early this week and could be passed before the end of this year. But some politicians don’t want to pay for the leave and are blocking it! Let’s tell them that we demand fair and well-paid leave for both mothers and fathers.
A key meeting to decide on the directive takes place on Thursday. Negotiations need to end before Christmas. If we don’t manage to convince the ministers to support the directive in this small window, our only chance may be gone!
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Fathers in Europe still don't spend enough time with their kids. The burden of childcare falls mostly on women. [1] Men in Europe are usually not granted paternity and adequate parental leave, and when they are it is short and often unpaid. [2] As a result, fathers don’t stay with their kids even if they want to, and give up their leave to mothers. At the same time, mothers can’t get back to work and end up being paid less in the course of their careers.
With this new EU law, we can change this! A minimum of four months of paid and non-transferable parental leave for both parents and 10 days of paid paternity leave: this will give fathers the opportunity to get closer to their kids and mothers to rest and get back to work more easily. It will also help to equalise the pay of women and men in all European countries.
To get there, we need to convince at least 7 ministers from 7 different EU countries. With our partners (European trade unions and civil society organisations), we will deliver our signatures to each and every one of them. With our combined efforts, they will have to see that not only their own citizens, but tens of thousands of people from all over Europe, are counting on them.
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The work/life balance directive is an exhaustive new law which would grant important rights to parents and carers of dependent relatives. [3] These include new types of leave, minimum allowances and flexible working options. Most importantly, it will give both parents the right to a minimum of 4 months of paid parental leave, which they cannot transfer between each other, and 10 days of paid paternity leave.
Our community has intervened time and time again for people in need by fighting for their rights. Today, we have a chance to stand up for ourselves. This directive could improve the lives of millions of parents across Europe. It would help men to adapt to being fathers and improve the sharing of child-caring duties. It would also protect women from being discriminated against in the workplace for fear they might go on periods of long leave.
Sign to make our lives better!
Mika (Bordeaux), Jörg (Lübeck), Virginia (Madrid), and the rest of us at WeMove.EU
PS: According to the proposed law, the 10-day paternity leave would apply to heterosexual and same-sex couples alike. This directive would be a big step towards a truly progressive system we could all be proud of. Sign the petition for more equality!
References
[1]
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2017/11/27/parents-now-spend-twice-as-much-time-with-their-children-as-50-years-ago
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/11/04/raising-kids-and-running-a-household-how-working-parents-share-the-load/
[2]
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2016/593543/EPRS_ATA(2016)593543_EN.pdf
[3]
The proposed text of the directive:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52017PC0253&from=EN
WeMove.EU is a citizens’ movement, campaigning for a better Europe; for a European Union committed to social and economic justice, environmental sustainability and citizen-led democracy. We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere.
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