Seven-day bereavement leave on death of a child comes into force in January

Parents who lose a child under the age of 18 will be entitled to seven days of paid bereavement leave under a new measure that will come into force next year, Social Dialogue Junior Minister Andy Ellul has announced.

Every year, about 30 children under the age of 18 die, and under current laws, their parents are entitled to only one or two days of bereavement leave. There is a discrepancy in the laws regulating such leave across various sectors.

As from January 1, the laws will be amended to ensure that all parents, regardless of where they work, will be entitled to seven days of parental bereavement leave. The measure will be funded by the government and will apply to all employees.

Full-time employees will receive their full salary, part-timers will be paid on a pro-rata basis, and self-employed individuals will receive the median wage. The entitlement will apply to both parents, including same-sex parents.

“In life, there is no greater loss than when a parent loses a child. But this is part of life and the reality around us, and when it happens, the world of those parents changes forever. Nothing can fill that void, and no measure can dampen that pain. But the government felt we could do something in the working world to offer a shoulder to lean on for these parents - to give them the space to process the pain they are going through,” Ellul said.

He added that the need for this parental bereavement leave came to light during discussions on maternity and miscarriage leave, which also led to a debate on the introduction of leave for parents whose children are in the NPICU – the children’s ITU that hosts babies until the age of three.

He said that during the discussions on miscarriage leave, it emerged that women who lost their baby after 22 weeks (considered a stillbirth) did not benefit from miscarriage or maternity leave. This would be debated and addressed in parliament as from tomorrow.