Luxembourg votes to expand family leave
Bill broadens support for self-employed workers, same-sex couples, parents of twins
The Chamber of Deputies has voted to expand Luxembourg's leave system, as the government takes steps to align with an EU directive aimed at allowing greater balance between the professional and private lives of parents and other caregivers.
The legislation extends the extraordinary leave period after the birth of a child, and the traditional ten-day paternity leave has now been extended to include self-employed workers, the labour ministry said in a news release Wednesday.
"[The new law] is about allowing more people to have much more time for their new-born children. These changes are also a part of the Government's desire to achieve a better work-life balance, " Labour Minister Georges Engel said.
The bill introduces provisions to support same-sex couples, as the second parent recognized at birth will now be entitled to the ten-day extraordinary leave. Previously, they were only eligible for paternity leave upon the adoption of a child.
The new law provides additional paternity leave days for parents in the event of multiple births. For instance, fathers of twins will now be entitled to an extended leave of 20 days, allowing them more time to adapt, the news release said.
Parliament also approved another law that introduces two new extraordinary leaves. The first is a force majeure leave, which can be taken when exceptional and unforeseeable family events arise, capped at one day within a twelve-month employment period. The second is a five-day allowance within a twelve-month employment period, allowing employees to provide personal care or assistance to a family member or someone residing in the same household.
The changes to the leave system are expected to take effect within a few weeks.
Lawmakers on parliament’s employment committee had questioned Engel last month about potential safeguards for preventing workers abusing the leave.
Companies in Luxembourg are increasingly turning to professionals to take care of their staff’s physical and mental well-being, experts said last month.
