Lagos approves six-month maternity leave for female civil servants (Good news for Men)

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has approved six months maternity leave with full payment for female public servants in the state.

This, however, will be for the first two babies delivered by any female civil servant. Meanwhile, the maternity leave would be cut short to three months while giving birth to the third baby.

Speaking at a news conference yesterday at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Lagos, Lagos State Head of Service, Josephine Williams, said the leave will apply in the case of a nursing mother’s first two deliveries and would commence at least two weeks before the expected delivery date.

She stated that a male officer to whom a new baby (or babies in case of multiple births) was born would be entitled to 10 working days paternity leave in relation to and at the time of his spouse’s first two deliveries.

“Any third and subsequent deliveries by any employee shall only attract 12 weeks maternity leave for female officers, while the male officer shall not be entitled to paternity leave in that circumstance.

“In other words, leave entitlement in respect of the third and subsequent children of an employee shall be in line with the extant (now old) maternity leave regulations. It would be recalled that in the old dispensation, female officers were entitled to only 12 weeks maternity leave at every point of delivery, while male officers do not enjoy paternity leave. The 12 weeks was to be taken six weeks before and six weeks after delivery,” she said.

Williams said the new leave regime by the government was informed by the fact that nursing mothers leave their children in the hands of nannies at such tender age of six weeks, adding that one could not imagine the level of concentration to expect from such an employee at her desk.

“However, at six months, a baby is considered strong enough to be left in a decent crèche for proper care, having gone through close affection and nurturing by the mother for those very important and delicate first few months of his or her life.

“While it is hoped that nursing parent-employees in Lagos State Public Service would utilise this privilege to devote fuller attention to their children, thereby promoting emotional bonding between parents and children when it matters the most, all public officers are again enjoined to remain dedicated and productive in their various beats and schedules,” she added.

The new policy, according to Williams, takes immediate effect. She appealed to other employers of labour to take a cue from the policy to advance a balanced family-work life.