As millions of women celebrate International Women’s Day today, an advocacy group in the Cayman Islands has renewed calls for changes to local laws that would increase maternity leave.
After a more-than-one-year battle to effect change through local labour legislation, mothers and fathers await government’s review of the recommendations outlined by the Parental Entitlements Working Group.
In their own words: Mums share their stories of struggle
“I wish that the government would snap their fingers and, in an instant, parental leave would be implemented, [but it is going] to take a process for that to come”, said Bethany Ebanks-Pacheco, executive member of the group, as she explained her wish for International Women’s Day.
“I also wish that women were given a fair chance in the workforce. I know women that have gone back to work after having a child and are having to produce the same amount of work as they did before,” despite having a very young child or children, she said.
Noting that demands on a new mother’s time “is very great and their businesses are not very accommodating”, she added, “I just wish that people would understand that when you have a child, your entire life changes.”
The campaign for change kicked off when Ebanks-Pacheco and Lorren Stainton started collecting signatures on a petition calling for increased maternity leave, which later evolved into the working group.
Recommendations for change
The working group, with the help of economist Paul Byles, completed its report on parental leave which was delivered in January to Minister for Labour Chris Saunders.
It recommended changes to the existing leave scheme, but not only for mothers.
“The overall goal is equity and equality. We have asked for parental leave, but we did put a recommendation in there for men, and for father figures, because we realise that kids also need their fathers. This is not just something that is a one-off; this is a holistic approach of the whole society that we’re looking at,” Ebanks-Pacheco said in an interview Monday via Zoom.
The Labour Ministry on Wednesday, following Compass queries, said via email that parental leave is an item for legislative reform to the Labour Act, and it’s a part of a series of wider legislative amendments that include the review of the national minimum wage.
“The Deputy Premier is committed to looking into this issue, but it requires further research and consultation to determine what would work best in our local economy as well as best practice, which can only take place after the Minimum Wage work is complete so that the resource burden on businesses can be truly factored in. The Ministry anticipates that amendments can be submitted to Parliament in the fourth quarter 2023 or first quarter 2024,” the statement said.
She said when they completed the review of various leave offerings, the most surprising element was the cost associated with making changes here.
“We found that with our annual budgets (and the continuous increase in surplus of finances) the amount to fulfil this change is quite palatable, particularly for our small community of births. It is something that can be absorbed or adjusted once implemented,” she said.
Support for new parents
She pointed out that Scotland provides birth baskets to every baby born there. Each basket contains diapers, onesies, a blanket and bibs, and the box can even be used as a bassinet if needed.
“This is a simple thing that we can do with an average birth rate of 702 per annum, to give each child the same start,” she said, so new parents can feel supported.
The Compass reached out to the ministry for an update on the report, and is awaiting a response.
Saunders, in an interview last year, pledged to make adjustments to local legislation to bring Cayman’s employment benefit regime, including maternity and paternity leave entitlements, in line with international standards.
The working group has opted not to release the report until it has met with government to discuss the recommendations.
Currently, leave entitlements are 12 calendar weeks (three months) in any 12-month period. The pay entitlements are 20 working days leave on full pay, 20 working days leave on half-pay and 20 working days of no pay.
In the UK, eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave.
The group is hoping changes will be made to move the needle forward when it comes to parental leave in Cayman.
Some companies, like Dart, Scotiabank and Ogier, have already implemented their own policies, increasing the amount of leave granted.
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