Decision details

Resolved

(1)          That the following motion, as amended, be adopted:

Maternity and Paternity Leave for Parents to Premature Babies

This Council supports extending paternity and maternity leave for any of its staff whose babies have been born too soon.

Parents to premature babies are faced with financial, mental and physical stress and hardship, yet their maternity leave begins the day after the birth.

We believe that the added pressure of worrying about the length of maternity or paternity leave is not good for the wellbeing of employees.

This council therefore seeks to adopt a policy of providing one extra week of leave to employees for every week a premature baby spends in hospital before the due date.

In addition to premature birth, there are other clinical crises that could befall council employees. Officers are to investigate extending this motion to allow Directors the discretion to deal with significant medical crises of a similar magnitude involving council employees, in a compassionate and caring manner and report back to Executive in due course.