“Disappointing” paternity about face

Unions say they are disappointed by the government’s decision not to pursue legislation that would earmark 12 weeks of paternity leave for fathers.

Unions said they had documentation that went against the government arguments that fathers were unlikely take the full amount of leave available to them.

The employment minister, Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokraterne), announced yesterday that despite her long-time support for the measure, the government had decided that the current regulations allowing parents to spilt most of the 52 week paid paternity period was best for children, since fathers were less likely to take leave than mothers.

The decision by the government also led to criticism from leading MPs within each of the three parties making up the coalition. 

Politiken

SEE RELATED: Government backs off paternity leave promise

This story was included in The Copenhagen Post's Morning Briefing for Thusday, September 5If you would like to receive stories like these delivered to your inbox by 8am each weekday, sign up for our Morning Briefing newsletter today. 




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