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New 10% parental leave allows workers half-day off
Belgium's federal parliament has unanimously approved a new measure allowing parents to work 90% of a week and take parental leave for a half a day.
The more flexible approach to parental leave means working mothers and fathers can take a smaller salary cut and receive a small payment from employment body Onem for the 10% time off.
Until now, three forms of parental leave were possible - stopping work full-time, part-time, or working an 80% week and having a full day off.
Catherine Fonck, group leader of the cdH party in federal parliament, said: "Mums and dads would like to take Wednesdays afternoons off, for example, when children are not in school.
"Until now, it hasn't been possible to claim parental leave for just 10% of the working week."
Parental leave can be taken for taken for up to four months, any time before a child reaches the age of 12. Working parents can therefore adopt a 90% working pattern for up to 40 months.
Fonck added: "I'd like us to be able to extend parental leave in the future and make it possible for parents of children up to the age of 15."
Comments
Anyone knows when we will be eligible to get 10% parental leave option. My employer says at the moment it is not possible (apparently still government has not published any legal documents for us to apply for 10% parental leave)
Thank you for your feedback.
I contacted "RVA hoofdbestuur / Onem Administration centrale".
Find below the answer I received.
This new law has not come into effect yet. In fact, the law has not even been signed yet so we don’t know when a parental leave for 10% will be possible. We don’t expect it to be in place before January 1st, 2019, but this is only guessing.