Sherlock calls for improved legislation surrounding maternity leave

Dublin People 12 Apr 2024

Labour Senator Marie Sherlock. Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells – Fennell Photography Dublin.

Labour Senator Marie Sherlock has challenged Minister Roderic O’Gorman to improve maternity leave legislation.

Sherlock noted that O’Gorman told the Green Party conference last October that he “promised” to improve legislation surrounding maternity leave.

The Leave our Leave campaign, which is supported by the Irish Cancer Society, has called for legislation surrounding illness that befalls pregnant people.

Senator Sherlock “leave is in place to allow mothers to care for their newborn babies, however for a small number of women each year, they sadly do not get to devote those 26 weeks to solely looking after their newborn but have to spend their time getting life-saving treatment for themselves.”

She said it is “outrageous” that mothers to newborn babies who require hospitalisation can extend their maternity leave, fathers taking paternity leave can defer if they become sick, and workers on holiday leave can defer if they are sick during that period, but mothers themselves are not able to avail of deferring their maternity leave if they become ill.

“We understand that around 60 women each year are diagnosed with cancer in pregnancy and they are denied any extension to their maternity leave. This situation has been raised by the Irish Cancer Society through its Leave our Leave campaign and in October Minister O’ Gorman made an explicit commitment to this campaign. Six months on we have seen no progress.”

She said that she has sought answers from Minister O’ Gorman and was told that he plans to bring the proposals to Cabinet “shortly.”

“For the women who were very much relying on the Minister’s commitments from last year, this is a bitter disappointment, it leaves them in limbo and we hold little confidence that the changes will be enacted soon.”

“We call on Minister O’Gorman to prioritise the rights and well-being of women by swiftly enacting measures to ensure that no woman battling illness during maternity leave loses their entitlements. The time for action is now.”