Paternity Leave
No specific paternity leave entitlements are found in the Labour Law. However, a worker may request for up to 7 days special leave for personal reasons that affect his immediate family (marriage of an employee or his/her child, birth of a child, illness or death of an employee's husband, wife, children or parents). If an employee has not taken annual leave, this special leave may be deducted from the annual leave. If an employee has already exhausted his/her annual leave, the employer may require him to work longer hours in order to make up for that leave.
The making up for the time lost can be implemented on the ordinary work day provided that the total working hours should not exceed 10 hours a day and 45 hours per week. These increased working hours are paid at the normal hourly rate of pay.
Sources: §171 of the Labour Law, promulgated by Royal Order No. CS/RKM/0397/01 of 13 March 1997 (amended in 2021); Prakas on Special Leave (76/1998; 267/2001)
Flexible Work Option for Parents / Work-Life Balance
No provisions could be located in the law supporting work-life balance for parents or workers with family responsibilities. However, workers can work part-time. Employees who work less than 48 hours per week are considered part-time workers. They have the same rights as full-time employees under the Labour Law, with the exception of being paid wages in proportion to the number of hours worked. The part-time employees are entitled to leave, bonuses, and other benefits in proportion to their work time.
Source: Arbitration Council Awards 03/2003
