PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – On Friday May 31st, 2019, the Committee of Civil Servants Unions (CCSU) submitted a maternity and paternity leave proposal to Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin in her capacity of Minister of General Affairs.
The members of the CCSU made use of their right stipulated in article 112i of the “Landsverordening materieel ambtenarenrecht” (Lma), to initiate amendments to the current human resource regulations and proposed the establishment of new policies on maternity and paternity leave. This proposal adopts the same number of weeks proposed by Member of Parliament Tamara Leonard.
Both members of the CCSU are of the opinion that the current personnel regulations on maternity and paternity leave are outdated and have not been amended based on developments on the labor market locally or abroad. Currently civil servants are entitled to a maternity leave of 12 weeks while fathers are entitled to two days.
The adoption of this proposal would not only increase maternity leave to 18 weeks and introduce a paternity leave of 2 weeks, but would also introduce a comprehensive policy on maternity and paternity leave that focuses on the physical and psychological health of the mother and father, and the care for the newborn by both parents. This proposal also covers critical matters such as, leave of absence in cases of stillbirth, premature birth, birth of multiple children, among other pressing matters.
