Page 40 - AJ Electrical Employee Handbook 2020

3.9.12 Provision of Breastfeeding Breaks
An employee who is breastfeeding will be entitled to work breaks equivalent to 1 hour per day for the
purposes of breast-feeding in a designated area in the workplace. 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. Breastfeeding breaks may be taken
as one 60-minute break, two 30-minute breaks, or three 20-minute breaks per day as agreed with a
Company Director. Part time employees will be entitled to a pro-rata benefit to that provided to full-
time employees.

To avail of this benefit, the employee must inform a Company Director of the intention to avail work
breaks when advising the company that she will be returning to work, i.e. not later than four weeks
before the intended return to work date. The employee should include a copy of the child's birth
certificate with such an application. Availing of such breaks will not result in any reduction of pay for
the employee.

3.9.13 Notification Requirements
Before your maternity leave begins
As soon as reasonably practicable but not later than 4 weeks before the start of your Minimum
maternity leave, you must notify a Company Director in writing of the date on which you will
commence your maternity leave together with a medical certificate confirming the expected week of
confinement. Notification by you for an Extension of maternity leave must be given as soon as
practicable.

Notification by you for Additional maternity leave shall be given not later than 4 weeks prior to what
would have been your expected date of return if you had not taken additional maternity leave

Returning from maternity leave
Please note that you must provide at least four weeks written notice of your intention to return to
work after maternity leave. Please note that if you do not provide the proper notice of return to work
this may affect your right to return to work. The notice should specify the date of your return.

Further extending maternity leave on medical grounds
If you are too ill to return to work at the end of your maternity leave period, the normal Company
rules on sick leave will apply.

3.9.14 Maternity Benefit (MB)
NOTE** It is a matter for the employee to deal with the Department of Employment
Affairs and Social Protection, but for the assistance of the employee we provide the information
below.

To qualify for MB (paid by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection) you must
have:
• at least 39 weeks PRSI paid in the 12-month period before the first day of your maternity
leave; or
• at least 39 weeks PRSI paid since first starting work and at least 39 weeks PRSI paid or
credited in the relevant tax year (the second last complete tax year before the calendar
year in which your maternity leave starts); or
• 26 weeks PRSI paid in the relevant tax year and 26 weeks PRSI paid in the tax year prior to
the relevant tax year.

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