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Portugal parental leave and labor rights developments

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2026-10-15 17:09 UTC → 2026-10-15 17:12 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In Portugal, existing labor laws under the Labor Code grant working parents the right to justified, paid absences of up to four hours per quarter to attend to their children’s educational needs. Legislative efforts have since moved toward expanding broader parental leave. The PS and PSD parties reached an agreement to increase the period of leave paid at 100% of reference remuneration from 120 to 150 days. This 150-day period is guaranteed to all families, including single-parent households. Under this compromise, families can extend leave to 180 days at 100% pay if they share the leave, requiring at least one parent to take specific consecutive or split periods of leave. If families do not share the leave, they may still take 180 days, but remuneration would decrease to approximately 83%. Discussions regarding a seven-month option with a 90% subsidy are also ongoing. Following these developments, the parliamentary committee for Labor, Social Security, and Inclusion unanimously approved a proposal to extend continuous workdays to the private sector. This measure allows parents with children up to 12 years old to utilize a single 30-minute rest period instead of long lunch breaks, enabling them to finish the workday up to one hour earlier. This requires employer agreement or a collective bargaining agreement and a 30-day written notice. The provision also extends to caregivers of children with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or oncological diseases regardless of age, as well as grandparents acting as primary caregivers in the household. On October 14, 2026, the parliamentary Committee on Labour, Social Security and Inclusion unanimously approved a joint proposal from the PS and PSD to formalize these extensions. The framework specifies that for the 180-day full-pay benefit, each parent must take at least 30 consecutive days or two 15-day periods.

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