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3.9.3 Qualifying Conditions
In order to avail of paid time off as specified above, you must notify the Company of the appointment as soon
as practicable, and in any event not later than two weeks before the date of the appointment unless this is not
possible through no fault of your own.

You should advise a MANAGER that you will be absent as far in advance of your appointment as possible and
you may be asked to produce your appointment card.

3.9.4 Minimum maternity leave
You are entitled to a 26-week period of minimum maternity leave irrespective of your length of service or the
number of hours you work each week. During this minimum maternity you may be entitled to Maternity Benefit
(MB) from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

3.9.5 Extension of maternity leave
Where your date of confinement occurs after the expected date of confinement (as defined in the Social Welfare
(Consolidation) Act, 1993 the minimum period of maternity is extended if necessary by up to four weeks to
ensure that you have four weeks of maternity leave after the birth of your child.

3.9.6 Additional maternity leave
You are also entitled to take a further period of 16 weeks’ unpaid maternity leave, irrespective of whether you
have taken an extension of maternity leave, but this period is not covered by maternity benefit either from social
welfare or from the company.

3.9.7 Health and Safety Leave
If due to the Provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 and the Safety, Health & Welfare at
Work (General Applications) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 it is necessary to place you on Health and Safety
leave on grounds of pregnancy, recently giving birth or breast feeding you will be paid for the first 3 days.
Thereafter you may be entitled to Social Welfare Benefits.

3.9.8 Father’s entitlement to maternity leave
Fathers are only entitled to maternity leave if the mother dies within 24 weeks of the birth. In these tragic
circumstances, the father may be entitled to a period of leave, the extent of which depends on the actual date
of the mother's death. Where a father qualifies for leave under these circumstances, he also has an optional
right to the additional maternity leave.

3.9.9 Paternity Leave and Paternity Benefit
The Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 provides for statutory paternity leave of 2 weeks. The provisions apply
to births and adoptions on or after 1 September 2016. You can start unpaid paternity leave at any time within
the first 6 months following the birth or adoption placement. You may qualify for Paternity Benefit from the
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection if you have sufficient PRSI contributions. Paternity
leave days must be taken consecutively, and all dates must be agreed with a MANAGER in advance.

3.9.10 When can employees start their maternity leave?
You can start your maternity leave up to 14 weeks before the end of the expected week of confinement, but it
must not be later than two weeks before the end of the expected week of confinement and you must not take
less than four weeks after the end of the expected week of confinement.

3.9.11 Reduction of Working Hours to Facilitate Breast feeding
An employee who is breastfeeding will be entitled to reduce her hours by 1 hour per day for the purposes of
breastfeeding other than in the workplace, if the Company has not requested her to utilise facilities provided by
the Company. For the purposes of the 2004 Act "breastfeeding" means breastfeeding a child or expressing breast
milk and feeding it to a child immediately or storing it for the purposes of feeding it to a child at a later time.
This entitlement may be availed of for up to 26 weeks after the date of birth of the child. Such a reduction of

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