Madaveli MP submits amendment to give government staff two years of twice‑daily childcare breaks

A bill has been submitted to amend the Employment Act to extend the period during which government employees may take twice‑daily free time to attend to their young children.

The amendment was proposed by PNC MP for Madaveli Mohamed Shameez.

Under the current law, employees returning to work after maternity leave are entitled to 30 minutes of free time twice a day for one year. The proposed amendment seeks to extend this entitlement to two years.

According to the bill, government employees would receive 30 minutes of leave twice a day for two years from the date they resume work after maternity leave. The time would be granted without any salary deduction and is intended to allow parents to attend to childcare needs.

The proposal is expected to ease the burden on working parents, especially mothers returning to full‑time work.

Government employees currently receive six months of maternity leave for mothers and one month of paternity leave for fathers.