Portugal political parties agree to expand parental leave

The PS and PSD parties in Portugal have reached a joint agreement regarding the expansion of parental leave. The proposal serves as a compromise between a citizens' initiative requesting 180 days of leave paid at 100% without conditions and the Government's emphasis on sharing leave between parents.

Under the new proposal, the period of leave paid at 100% of the reference remuneration will increase from 120 to 150 days. This 150-day period is guaranteed to all families, including single-parent households, regardless of whether the leave is shared.

Families can extend the leave to 180 days (six months) at 100% pay if they share the leave, requiring at least one parent to take a minimum exclusive period of 30 consecutive days or two periods of 15 days. If families choose not to share the leave, they can still take 180 days, but the remuneration will drop to approximately 83%. Additionally, a seven-month option (210 days) is being discussed with a 90% subsidy under specific sharing conditions.

The vote on this specialty legislation has been postponed to Tuesday, October 13, to allow other parties to review the text.