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Bosses aren't happy about proposals to give dads two weeks paid paternity leave

Last night Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said he was confident this provision would be included in the Family Leave Bill.

BUSINESS GROUP IBEC has said today that any proposal to offer paid paternity leave to fathers in new legislation would result in a “disproportionate burden” for employers.

Last night, Equality Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said he was confident that the provision of two weeks paid paternity leave would be included in the Family Leave Bill currently being drafted.

Speaking on RTÉ’S Prime Time last night, he said Ireland is “well behind” the rest of Europe in this area.

Though engagement with employers on the issue has not taken place. Ó Ríordáin said the priority for the government will be what’s best for the children of this country.

Today, Ibec head of HR, Maeve McElwee said it is “unclear how the Minister sees paternity leave being introduced”.

She said that if the government is building on proposals whereby mothers share two weeks of their leave with the father, it creates a “more complex and administratively costly situation” for employers.

Although Ibec recognises the importance of achieving reconciliation of professional and private life, any proposal for a period of maternity leave to be shared with the father will result in a disproportionate burden for employers trying to maintain their competitiveness, in particular, small and medium sized businesses.

“Employers will face an increased administrative and cost burden ensuring that temporary cover is arranged, or duties are re-allocated where an employee is on leave, regardless of the length of leave,” she said. “Alternative arrangements will have to be made in a way which ensures that there it does not result in a loss of productivity, or output.”

She pointed out that the European Union has already extended the period of parental leave to 18 weeks, which “gave parents, including fathers, an entitlement to an extra four weeks of leave”.

“There is no requirement to legislate for any period of maternity leave to be shared with the father of child, where generous provisions already exist.”

The minister said last night that this conversation should be about the type of society we want and what our value system is when it comes to parenting.

“What expectation we have of our families in Irish society when a child is born. And what’s best for the family should be the first thing we think about and not the difficulties an employer or a workplace would have. The central point remains that a happy worker means a happy work place. You should never come to a situation where a pregnancy causes a problem.”

Read: Irish fathers look set to benefit from two weeks paid paternity leave>

Read: Separated father with joint custody wrongly granted single person rent allowance>

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55 Comments
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    Mute CrabaRev
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    Feb 26th 2019, 8:42 AM

    @Ann Lennon:
    From reading this and other articles, it would appear that the “fall from grace” was in his mind.
    A much more pertinent question, was the councillor with with whom he had 10 sessions suitably qualified to determine whether Hawe was a danger to himself or his family? I think “the two felt a connection.” is an extraordinary statement.

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    Mute James Wallace
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    Feb 26th 2019, 9:44 AM

    @John Jones: the point is they don’t know. The gardai won’t release the files and the school has never once contacted the family.

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    Mute James Wallace
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    Feb 26th 2019, 11:32 AM

    @John Jones: no, not a deliberate cover up, but the family are entiteled to some answers to their legitimate questions. The fact that the school has never contacted these people is not speculation, it’s fact, according to them.

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    Mute Anthony Gallagher
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    Feb 26th 2019, 10:32 AM

    Tragic and cruel, but there are far too many experts on here giving their twopence worth.If only mental health was that easy to diagnose,leave it to those that have some idea what they are talking about .

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    Mute Matt Beaumont
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    Feb 26th 2019, 10:41 AM

    @Anthony Gallagher: well obviously they didn’t in that case.

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    Mute John Jones
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    Feb 26th 2019, 10:46 AM

    @James Wallace: Do you think theres a cover up. I think it’s sad how there’s a massive slight being put on the school based on pure speculation.

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    Mute Jane
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    Feb 26th 2019, 2:18 PM

    @CrabaRev: I dont think it’s true to say the fall from grace was in his head. From the Independent.

    He has said in his own words that he was caught red-handed and we do know that he was looking at pornography….

    “We’ve had sight of the counselling notes and he had said he was masturbating somewhere that he shouldn’t have been… So we have pieces of information but we don’t know who caught him.
    “We do know, in the June, he cancelled all his counselling sessions and this all happened the day before he was to return to school,” she said. “He said that it was easier for them to die than to have to live with the truth of what he was doing.”

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Feb 26th 2019, 8:10 PM

    @Jane: The counselor said that he said this?? She was in a position to go to gardai with this information; patient confidentiality goes out the window when there is a real risk to life. Did she pass this information onto the guards before the murders?

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    Mute CrabaRev
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    Feb 26th 2019, 4:54 PM

    @Jane: I replied to your comment, but my comment was deleted for some weird Journal.ie reason. What you have just quoted from the Indo was a quote from Clodagh’s sister.

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    Mute GerryCummins
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    Feb 27th 2019, 12:19 AM

    It seems it is about the will, and who gets what! Which family benefits from the assets left over…I was wondering why this case had come up again. It is petty infighting between family…..over the assets left behind…

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    Mute Maria Hickey-Fagan
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    Feb 27th 2019, 12:57 AM

    @GerryCummins: would you ever stop. This is a broken, devastated family looking for answers.

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    Mute Anne O'Brien
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    Feb 28th 2019, 4:33 AM

    This Family needs answers, why do they not have the full story. Release all records if you will not share the truth. That councillor statement is bizarre, and a big worry if you ask me. Badly done school. I say wow Mammy, Sister, Granmother, and Aunt you are now fighting for the defenseless I really hope you get your answers. Why O Why

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    Mute helen walsh
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    Feb 27th 2019, 12:40 AM

    My comments are constantly removed, who is behind that? Is my personal information being given to cronies..

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