P&O highlight: specific leave for particular reasons
As an employee, you want to continue working in a motivated manner throughout your career and in different phases of your life. You are responsible for your development and deployability in this regard. As your employer, NWO-I will support and facilitate you in this. Certain circumstances or phases in your life might require more time for your private life. The collective labour agreement has specific leave possibilities for several circumstances. This concerns paid pregnancy and maternity leave and paternity leave, paid parental leave and paid care leave to care for a sick loved one.
Pregnancy and maternity leave and paternity leave
A female employee who gives birth has the right to paid pregnancy and maternity leave up to a maximum of sixteen weeks. This leave can be increased by a maximum of sixteen weeks in so far as the pregnancy leave prior to the expected date of childbirth has been less than six weeks, for reasons other than illness. After the spouse or relational partner has given birth, the employee has the right to an additional five weeks of paternity leave that should be taken within six months after the child's birth. This leave is unpaid. The details are stated in Article 5.12 of the collective labour agreement.
Parental leave
As the (foster) parent or adoptive parent of a child that is not yet eight years old, the employee can take parental leave for a period of six months. The collective labour agreement arranges that over three of the six months, 55 percent of the salary and any allowances are still paid if the child concerned is younger than four years old. Parental leave can be taken for a continuous period but also spread over a longer period, for example, one day per week. Parental leave can be split into three periods. At the employee’s request, the parental leave can be split up into at most six periods of at least one month. The details are stated in Articles 5.13 to 5.16 of the collective labour agreement.
Care leave
A maximum of two weeks of paid leave is given to caring for a sick loved one. This leave can be extended with unpaid leave. In the case of a life-threatening illness, the paid care leave is eight weeks, of which four weeks are fully paid and four weeks are paid for 50 percent. Care leave can be extended with unpaid leave if the situation requires that. The details are stated in Article 5.11 of the collective labour agreement.
Questions?
Please contact your P&O advisor, should you have any questions.