Government dads will be entitled to paternity leave for the first time ever, come September.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke, made the announcement on Tuesday at a press conference updating the country on the government’s public sector reform.

However, he did not reveal details about the paternity leave, such as whether it would be paid, and how much time new dads would be entitled to.  The Minister said that info would be announced at a later date.

Meanwhile, new moms who work for the government will also be getting extra paid time off.  Under Jamaica’s Maternity Leave Act, women are entitled to up to 12 weeks off, but only the first 8 weeks are paid.  Clarke’s announcement now brings these two numbers square, with the full 12 weeks of maternity leave being paid for public sector workers.

But back to dads.  Paternity leave does raise some questions, such as how many times a year can a father take paternity leave, if say, he has children with more than one woman in a year?

“There are aspects of paternity that differ from maternity and therefore terms and conditions will need to be finalised,” he said.

He added that the cost to the public sector won’t be determined until the terms and conditions are finalised. 

Family leave for adoptive parents

Additionally, the Minister said the Government plans to introduce family leave for adoptive parents welcoming a child to their family.

He noted that information regarding these updates will be circulated to members of the public by September 30.

He said the move comes as the Government tries to modernise Jamaica’s public sector. The Government previously announced that it would be undertaking a comprehensive reform of current public sector compensation policies.

“We have completed first round consultations with all public sector unions and bargaining groups and we are progressing with second round consultations,” the Minister said.