Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Council set to increase paternity leave
Fulton MacGregor has hailed the “fantastic news”that North Lanarkshire Council is to introduce a policy to double statutory paternity leave.
The Coatbridge MSP has been a driving force behind a move to increase the time new dads get to spend with their newborns from two-to-four weeks.
And now, just weeks after the change was adopted as party policy at the SNP’s conference, North Lanarkshire Council has announced it will follow suit over“the coming months”.
The ground-breaking move – which sees the local authority become one of the first Scottish councils to get on board with the increase in paternity leave – had cross-party support at a full meeting of the council on Thursday.
The new policy will support working fathers and acknowledges the joint responsibility for the care and upbringing of children and to enable fathers to have a more active role in raising young children.
Councillor Jim Logue, leader of the council, said: “Our new workplace policy underlines how this council is a family-friendly and progressive employer.
“We live in a society where men and women have equality at home, and in the workplace, and this is a positive step to supporting working fathers, who want to spend time bringing up their young children and who would like to take a more equal share of childcare.
“It is vital that our council’s workplace policies reflect this. This change significantly enhances the current statutory requirement of two weeks’ paid leave and strengthens parental leave rights for fathers.”
Dad-of-two Mr MacGregor told the Advertiser: “This is fantastic news and I welcome North Lanarkshire Council’s decision.
“Increased paternity leave not only allows the father to spend more time with his children, but also allows the mother to return to the workforce quicker – if that’s what the family desire.”
Partners of expectant mothers will be entitled to take one week of maternity support leave and a further three weeks of paternity leave at full pay.