S.L. 452.78 Art. 4Parental leave.

(1) It shall be the individual right of both male and female workers to be granted unpaid parental leave on the grounds of birth, adoption, fostering or legal custody of a child to enable them to take care of that child for a period of four months until the child has attained the age of eight years: Provided that this right shall be granted on a non-transferable basis: Provided further that parental leave shall be availed of in established periods of one month each.

(2) Unless otherwise prescribed in a collective agreement applicable to the employee, the employer together with the employee may decide whether to grant the parental leave on a full-time or a part-time basis, in a piecemeal way or in the form of a time credit system.

(3) In the event that the parental leave was not availed of or there is still an existing balance of parental leave, an employee shall remain entitled to such leave even if there is a change in the employer or in the employment of the employee, as long as the employee qualifies in accordance with regulation 3.