14-11-2024 (SINGAPORE) Singapore’s Parliament has passed significant amendments to the Child Development Co-Savings Bill, ushering in enhanced employment protections for parents and expanding shared parental leave entitlements, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling announced yesterday.
The comprehensive reforms, set to take effect from 1 April 2024, will extend dismissal protection – currently only available to mothers on maternity leave – to fathers taking paternity leave and parents on adoption leave. This legislative milestone aims to foster greater confidence among parents, particularly fathers, in taking parental leave.
Under the new framework, shared maternity leave will be implemented in two phases. Parents of Singaporean babies born from April 2024 will be entitled to six weeks of shared leave, increasing to 10 weeks for births from April 2026. Additionally, paid paternity leave will double from two to four weeks starting April 2024.
Addressing Parliament, Sun emphasised the delicate balance between parental needs and employer considerations. While shared parental leave protection differs slightly from other parental leave categories, employees retain rights under the Employment Act and can seek redress through the Tribunal or Employment Claims Tribunal if unfairly dismissed.
The government will shoulder the financial burden of the extended leave, providing salary coverage up to $2,500 weekly (capped at $10,000 monthly). This applies across multiple employments, with self-employed individuals also eligible for compensation.
Several MPs, including Workers’ Party representative Chua Keng Wai, questioned the 12-month window for taking shared leave. Sun explained that while a two-year period was considered, employer feedback indicated extended timeframes would complicate staffing arrangements.
The debate highlighted particular concerns for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Multiple parliamentarians, including Tampines GRC MP Chu Pei-qing and Progress Party non-constituency MP Poon Qun-qin, called for additional SME support. Sun assured that employers could utilise wage savings for temporary staff or compensate employees covering additional workload.
Addressing self-employed workers’ concerns, raised by Nominated MP Carol Tsui, Sun advocated for flexible contract negotiations rather than rigid requirements for service buyers. She indicated that the Tripartite Fair Employment Principles would be updated to strengthen anti-discrimination provisions.
The reforms represent a significant step toward creating a more family-friendly work environment, with Sun emphasising that success requires not just legislative change but also cultural transformation within organisations. She called for supervisors and colleagues to support those balancing work and family commitments, fostering a reciprocal culture of workplace flexibility.
