Staff on maternity leave from Bank of Ireland are to benefit from a change in policy that will protect their time off in the event of serious illness.
The change means women receiving treatment for serious conditions including cancer will be able to freeze the time allocated to spend with their newborns.
Head of group employee relations Joanne Healy said the change secures maternity leave “for the purpose it is intended, bonding with your child”.
The move follows the recent passing of the Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Bill 2024 – legislation that came on foot of the Irish Cancer Society’s Leave our Leave campaign and which allows employees to postpone maternity leave for up to a year after the day it was due to start.
Accordingly, the bank’s new provision will be available to those already on maternity leave and those taking it in the future.
[ Bank of Ireland brings in suite of new family policies for staffOpens in new window ]
Under its existing maternity policy, new mothers can avail of full pay for 26 weeks, irrespective of length of service.
“In line with the legislation, Bank of Ireland colleagues who are undergoing treatment for cancer or serious illness will be able to postpone maternity leave for between five and 52 weeks, and it will not affect other forms of leave including unpaid maternity leave and parents’ leave,” the bank said.
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The Irish Cancer Society welcomed the move, noting that every year about 60 women in Ireland go through cancer treatment during, or just after, pregnancy.
“[We] campaigned for over two years to change the law to allow pregnant or post-partum mothers the right to pause their maternity leave when they become seriously ill,” said the charity’s chief executive, Averil Power.
Bank of Ireland’s policy change falls under its 2023 employment benefits scheme, Family Matters, which also covers areas including parental leave, fertility leave and early pregnancy loss.
Its policy allows for an extra seven weeks of leave for new parents over the first two years of their child’s life. Just under 800 employees – 460 mothers and 337 fathers – have availed of its terms to date.
Fifty-seven staff have also used the policy for fertility leave, as well as 71 for menopause leave.
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