Basic Conditions of Employment Act amended to provide for Parental Leave

The BCEA has been amended to provide for parental leave, adoption leave and, in the case of a surrogate motherhood agreement, commissioning parental leave.

The following leave conditions, inter alia, have been inserted by the Labour Relations Amendment Bill( LLAB ):

• An employee, who is a parent of a child, is entitled to at least ten consecutive days parental leave;
• An employee who is an adoptive parent of a child who is younger than two years is entitled to adoption leave of ten weeks consecutively. If there are two adoptive parents, one of the employees is entitled to adoption leave and the other employee is entitled to parental leave; and
• An employee who is a commissioning parent in a surrogate motherhood agreement is entitled to commissioning parental leave of ten weeks consecutively. If there are two commissioning parents, one of the employees is entitled to commissioning parental leave and the other employee is entitled to parental leave.

The LLAB further provides for the payment of parental benefits, adoption benefits and commissioning parental benefits from the UIF. Employers are encouraged to make the necessary amendment to their employees contracts of employment, including these amendments.

If you would like a more in-depth analysis or legal advice on the recent labour law amendments, please do not hesitate to contact us. @ Labour Advice and Dispute resolution Centre Rob 0837740972 or 034 3121067 www.ladrc.co.za