Page 14 - Comerford Employee Handbook 2018 v.1

D) LEAVE ON HEALTH AND SAFETY GROUNDS

An employee, who is pregnant, has recently given birth, or who is breastfeeding, will not be
placed in any job that is a risk to her health and safety or the health and safety of her child. If
such a risk exists, it will be firm policy to remove the risk, and assign the employee to other
suitable employment or place the employee on Health and Safety leave. An employee will
be paid for the first 21 days of Health and Safety Leave. Thereafter, she is entitled to receive
benefit from the Department of Social Protection. For up to six months following the birth of
a baby a breastfeeding mother is entitled to work breaks or a reduction in working hour’s
equivalent to one hour per day for the purposes of breastfeeding. An employee returning to
work before her baby is six months old should discuss this with their manager.

E) POSTPONEMENT OF LEAVE IN THE EVENT OF THE HOSPITALISATION OF THE
CHILD

An employee may apply for the postponement of her maternity leave in the event of the
hospitalisation of the child. The maximum amount of time the leave can be postponed is six
months. The decision to allow this postponement is entirely at the discretion of the company.

An employee may only request that her maternity leave be postponed once she has taken at
least 14 weeks' maternity leave, 4 of which must have been taken after the birth. If an
employee does postpone her maternity leave and then return to work, then she may take
her remaining leave in one block, not later than 7 days after the child has been discharged
from hospital. The employee must provide a letter from the hospital confirming the child has
been hospitalised and following discharge, a letter confirming the date of discharge.

F) BREASTFEEDING
An employee who has given birth within the previous 6 months and who is breastfeeding is
entitled to paid time off each day in order to facilitate this. This time off may take the form of
reduced working hours or work breaks, and is the equivalent to one hour per day. Upon
agreement with your manager, this time off can be taken as

• One 60 minute break
• Two 30 minute breaks
• Three 20 minute breaks

Part-time employees’ breastfeeding breaks are calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Employees wishing to avail of this entitlement should inform their manager not later than
four weeks before their intended return to work date.

G) ADOPTIVE LEAVE

The Policy provides leave to adopting mothers, sole male adopters and in certain
circumstances, adopting fathers if the adopting mother has died.

Adoptive Leave entitles an employee to 24 weeks adoptive leave from the date of placement
and an additional 16 weeks leave at the end of this 24-week period. Employees wishing to
avail of this type of leave must notify their Manager, in writing, no later than 4 weeks before
the expected date of placement.

To avail of the additional 16 week period, notification must be given, in writing, to the
company, no later than 4 weeks before the employee is expected to return to work at the
end of the adoptive leave. In the case of a foreign adoption, the additional leave may be
taken prior to the placement date. Again, notification must be given, in writing, to the
company, no later than 4 weeks before the leave is due to begin. In the case of Irish
adoption, the employee must, no later than 4 weeks after the date of placement, produce a
certificate of placement to their Manager. In the case of a foreign adoption, a declaration of
eligibility and suitability must be produced as soon as is reasonably practicable.

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