People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith will today call on the government and the Taoiseach to extend maternity leave for three months as a result of the pandemic.
The TD and other representatives from political parties and Independents met women, their babies and the National Women’s Council of Ireland today outside the Dáil to accept an Uplift petition calling for the extension of maternity leave, which has been signed by over 25,000 people.
The TD said she will raise the matter with the Taoiseach during today’s Dáil sitting.
She will say: “I will be calling on the government and the Taoiseach to commit to extending maternity leave as an emergency measure because of the difficulties faced by women returning to work.
“You can’t put a monetary value on the contribution that mothers make to our society. New mothers need to be given this maternity leave extension. The stress and anxiety of returning to work during the Covid pandemic is something which the government can alleviate.
“At the end of the day what is needed is the political will from the government to support these women by extending maternity leave. Any problems with legislation or the need for retrospective legislation can be overcome.”