Filenews 9 June 2025 - by Evagoras Prokopiou
A workshop on gender equality and equal treatment at work was organized by the Ministry of Labour and the Cyprus Association of Certified Public Accountants (ICPAC), with the aim of informing employers and professionals about workers' rights regarding family life. The main speaker was Panagiota Arnou, an officer of the Labour Inspection Department, who presented in detail the law on paternity leave, parental care, reasons for force majeure and flexible working arrangements.
According to Arnou, the relevant law (2022–2025) incorporates the European Directive 2019/1158, with the aim of enhancing the work-life balance for parents and caregivers. The law applies to all employees in the private and public sectors.
Parental leave with extended rights and allowance
Every working parent is entitled to 18 weeks' parental leave per child, provided that they have at least six months of continuous employment with the same employer. For parents of children with disabilities, the leave is extended to 20 weeks, while in cases of widowhood or single-parent custody, the entitlement reaches 23 weeks.
The State provides parental leave allowance: 8 weeks for the first child, 10 weeks for the second, 12 weeks for the third and 14 weeks for the fourth and each subsequent one. The maximum annual duration of the subsidy is 5 weeks per child.
Parental leave is scheduled after three weeks' notice from the employee, while the employer cannot refuse it, but can postpone it for up to two months.
Paternity leave regardless of seniority
Working fathers are entitled to two consecutive weeks of paternity leave, within a period starting from the week of birth or adoption and ending two weeks after maternity. No previous service is required and an allowance is provided, provided that the father is insured.
Leave for care and reasons of force majeure
Each employee may receive five days of unpaid care leave per year, for relatives or persons residing in the same household, upon presentation of medical documentation. At the same time, for reasons of force majeure (e.g. illness or accident), seven days of unpaid leave per year is provided.
Right to flexible working arrangements
The law establishes the right to request flexible arrangements, such as teleworking, reduced or flexible hours, for parents with children up to 15 years of age and for caregivers. A prerequisite is six-month continuous employment with the same employer, who is obliged to respond within one month. It has the right to approve, postpone or reject the request.
Panagiota Arnou's presentation emphasized the importance of the implementation of the provisions of the law as a measure to strengthen equality at work and support family life.
