Minister must address Maternity Leave anomalies in TWSS

23 April 2020

Labour TD for Dublin Fingal, Duncan Smith TD, has echoed the calls of ICTU, NWCI and SIPTU, asking the Minister for Finance to address anomalies that exist in the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme that impact on women returning from maternity leave.

Deputy Smith said:

“As highlighted today by ICTU, NWCI and SIPTU, women who are returning to work from maternity leave are not able to avail of the benefits of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) as they were not receiving full pay in the months prior to the scheme being introduced.

“This is hopefully an unintended anomaly that exists within the scheme and one that the Minister for Finance will be able to address. When schemes like this are introduced in the eye of a pandemic, we do not expect everything to be perfect, but we do expect issues like this to be resolved when raised.

“Going back to work after maternity leave is a stressful enough time. Everything should be done by Government to avoid any extra anxieties and pressures.

“Many women, particularly those who are lower-paid, will have taken a financial hit during their maternity leave, and now that these same women will not qualify for the TWSS, is a significant blow at this difficult time.

“The Minister must seek to remedy this flaw in the scheme, so that women can return to work after maternity leave on full pay.” 

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