Portuguese MPs back proposal for longer paid parental leave
The proposed changes would give single-parent families 180 days at full pay, but still need committee scrutiny and a final parliamentary vote.
Parents in Portugal could receive full pay for 180 days of shared parental leave under a PS and PSD proposal approved by MPs in a parliamentary working group. For parents who do not share the entitlement, the fully paid period would be 150 days.
The measure next goes before the Committee on Labour, Social Security and Inclusion, followed by a final vote of parliament. It stems from a citizens' legislative initiative submitted in 2023 that sought full pay for the first 180 days, with shared leave potentially lasting 210 or 240 days.
Under the joint proposal, qualifying for fully paid shared leave would require both parents to take a minimum of 30 uninterrupted days, or two blocks of 15 days each. Social Security would calculate the reference wage used for payments. A single parent would receive 100 per cent of that wage for 180 days.
Other options include 180 days without sharing, paid at 83 per cent. Leave lasting up to 210 days would attract 90 per cent pay if the father takes at least 60 uninterrupted days beyond his exclusive entitlement of 28 days. Payment would be 86 per cent if the parents each provide sole care for one of the final two months.
Existing rules allow 120 fully paid days without sharing, or 150 when the father takes 30 days exclusively. Adding a month reduces payment to 80 per cent and 83 per cent respectively.
The proposal would also let eligible private-sector employees work a continuous day to finish earlier, an option already available to public-sector staff. It covers those with children under 12 or dependants with disabilities, chronic illness or oncological illness. Workers could omit lunch or dinner breaks while keeping the right to a break lasting up to 30 minutes.
