European labour law legislations provide for different schemes of maternity leave for mothers mothers and fathers. Some are longer, some are shorter, there are also discrepancies as far as social benefits during that are concerned.
Maternity leave: duration
In Poland the duration of maternity leave depends on the number of children born at one time and equals:
- 20 weeks when one child is born,
- 31 weeks when twins are born,
- 33 weeks when triplets are born,
- 35 weeks when quadruplets are born,
- 37 weeks when five or more children are born at one time.
Up to 6 weeks of maternity leave may be used before the date of birth. When this is the case, the rest of maternity leave will be used after birth.
Maternity leave passes to the father
When at least 14 weeks of maternity have been used up, the mother is entitled to give it up and return to work. The remaining part of maternity leave then passes to the father. The mother must let the employer know that she wants to return to work at least 7 days in advance. The father to whom the maternity leave has passed must apply to the employer for the remainder of the leave at least 14 days in advance.
The remainder of maternity leave also passes to the father if the mother dies in the course of her matenity leave. The same applies to the situation when the mother abandons the child.