Issue - meetings


Motions

Meeting: 17/12/2018 - Council (Item 73)

Motions

To debate the following motion which has been submitted with advance notice, in accordance with the constitution.

 

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.

 

Proposer: Councillor Sean Woodcock

Seconder: Councillor Hannah Banfield

 

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

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.

 

 

 

Minutes:

a) Maternity and Paternity Leave for Parents to Premature Babies

 

It was moved by Councillor Woodcock, and seconded by Councillor Banfield, that the following motion be adopted:

 

“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.”

 

Councillor McHugh proposed the following amendment to the motion, which was seconded by Councillor Wood:

 

Add the following text to the end of the motion: “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.”

 

Councillor Woodcock, as proposer to the motion, confirmed that he supported the amendment which was therefore added to the motion voted on by Council.

 

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.