The European social partners have signed a revised Framework Agreement on parental leave on 18 June 2009.
This is the first step towards enacting a new directive on parental leave.
The key points in the agreement are that it:
· increases parental leave from three to four months for each parent. One month cannot be transferred between parents;
· applies to all workers, no matter what their type of contract (fixed-term, part-time, temporary, etc.);
· allows parents who return from parental leave to request a change to their working conditions; and
· increases protection against dismissal and any unfavourable treatment as a result of taking parental leave.
It is believed that there will no obligation for parental leave to be paid.
The next step in the process is for the European Commission to examine the agreement. They can then submit a proposal to the Council for a directive to implement it. For the proposal to be adopted, the Council requires a qualified majority.
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