(CMR) Deputy Governor Franz Manderson announced on The Cold Hard Truth this morning that paid maternity and paternity leave will be increased for civil servants.
“This is about supporting families, supporting that bonding time that both men and women have with their children. It is around making sure people can take proper care of their children. If we say we can take care of our employees and their children, then these are some of the designs that we have to make,” he stated.
The Cayman Islands Civil Service has since announced that the Cabinet has approved the issuance of drafting instructions to amend the Personnel Regulations to increase parental leave provisions for civil servants.
When finalized, the Personnel (Amendment) Regulations 2024 will, among other things:
• increase overall maternity leave entitlements from 90 working days to 110 working days,
• increase overall paternity leave entitlements from 2 working weeks to 20 working days,
• increase the paid portion of maternity leave from 30 working days on normal pay to 60 working days on normal pay and
• increase the paid portion of paternity leave from one week on normal pay to 10 working days on normal pay.
Minister with responsibility for Gender Affairs, Hon Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, wholeheartedly endorsed and co-championed the policy development, commenting, “As Minister of Gender Affairs, and as a working mother of three children, I’m beyond proud of the advancements this change to the Personnel Regulations will bring. This increased parental leave entitlement is a significant step forward in supporting families. It recognizes the value of parents spending critical time at home with their young children.”
This increased leave entitlement will only be available to the civil service as the Government works to extend it to the private sector. However, some businesses have taken the initiative to increase maternity leave without a change in labor laws. Dart has increased maternity leave up to six months.
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