Government mulls the possibility of granted Paternity leave to fathers in the public sector

By Aabigayle McIntosh

The topic of paternity leave is gaining more traction in Antigua and Barbuda, with the government now considering giving new fathers who are non-established public sector workers one week of paid leave to bond with their newborns.

“The whole idea is to get fathers bonding with both mother and child during the period right after the birth of the child for about a week or so. It has already been introduced in more than one government department and negotiated by their bargaining agent. We think maybe it ought to be system-wide,” said Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Lionel Hurst.

The issue has been hotly debated following the move by the Board of Education (BoE) to implement the measure as part of its Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU). The provision awards a total of ten days to new fathers and is among the highest offered in any agreement negotiated by the union.

As of May 1, males employed at Sandals Group who become fathers and are full-time employees with the company for at least one year will receive one week of paid paternity leave, giving them even more time to bond with their children.

Hurst said discussion is ongoing regarding the cost of introducing this among non-established workers. “If the father is not at work, someone else may have to do the father’s job on the work site, and very frequently, when someone is acting in government service, they get half of their salary and half of the other person’s salary for whom they’re acting.

“Now there’s also the question of sufficiency of skills. Simply because you’ve had a new family member added doesn’t mean that the person who might be understudying you is ready to take on your post. A timeline is yet to be determined,” he added.