The Government of the Republic of Armenia approved the draft of amendments and additions to the Labor Code, which provides for the introduction of the idea of ”parental time” in labor relations, at the meeting held on May 21. The decision is aimed at increasing the social protection of working parents and will apply to employers in both the public and private sectors.
The new regulations stipulate that parents (including foster parents, adoptive parents and carers) with a child in their care under the age of 12 and under the age of 18 with a profound or severely limiting disability will be entitled to paid leave.
The provided period will be distributed according to the following principle: parents with up to 2 children – a maximum of 30 minutes per day, parents with 3 or more children – a maximum of 1 hour per day. And for the parents of a child with a disability, a maximum of 1 hour per day (regardless of the total number of children).
It is also noted that this right will apply equally to both parents.
Terms of application and upcoming reforms
During the government session, it was clarified that the possibility of accumulating hours is not planned at the current stage. Employees will not be able to add daily free hours together to obtain a full day off. However, the new provision will operate in parallel with the existing legislation. for example, mothers returning from parental leave with a child under 2 years of age, who already have the right to work less than 1 hour per day, will be able to add these benefits and be absent for up to 2 hours per day.
Possible risks were also raised during the session. In particular, concerns have been raised that mandating paid time off may cause private employers to avoid hiring parents caring for children with disabilities. As a solution, it was proposed to develop state incentive mechanisms (for example, in the form of tax benefits), which will be discussed in the National Assembly during the hearing stage.
The prospect of digitization
The government said that in the future, when the digitalization platform for labor contracts will be fully implemented in Armenia, it will be possible to revise the law and make it more flexible. The digital system will allow managing the accumulation of hours and their redistribution between parents.
After the draft is approved by the executive, it will be sent to the RA National Assembly for a final vote.
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