Click to view full size

THE prime minister has described as "major wins for working families" several announcements made on Sunday at a UNC press conference including expanded maternity protections and parental leave coming, as well as revised laws to strengthen and widen the net for people who have lost their jobs because of redundancy.

"I urge young married couples to consider the opportunity to become parents, it’s a most beautiful and rewarding experience," she said in a Facebook post on Sunday, hours after Labour Minister Leroy Baptiste announced that Cabinet approved sweeping amendments to the Maternity Protection Act and the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act – aimed at delivering expanded paid leave and stronger workplace protections for modern families.

For the first time, she said, the law will formally recognise paternity and parental leave, extending benefits to adoptive parents and guardians, and applying parental leave where a mother dies following childbirth.