Employer Action Code: Monitor
A draft bill recently submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey would increase maternity leave in both the public and private sectors to 24 weeks and paternity leave in the private sector to 10 days. A new leave entitlement for foster parents would also be introduced. The proposed measures aim to support families and encourage more births. Although Turkey’s fertility rate (1.48) remains above the EU average (1.34), it is below the population replacement level (approximately 2.1) and has declined the most (31.8%) among European countries over the past 10 years (Eurostat data).
Key details
Proposed amendments to the Labor Law include:
- Increasing maternity leave in the private and public sectors from 16 to 24 weeks, by extending postnatal leave from eight to 16 weeks; the entire leave period would continue to be paid by social security at two-thirds of covered earnings
- Granting expectant mothers more flexibility in the use of maternity leave, by allowing them — with a doctor’s notice of approval — to transfer up to six weeks (currently five weeks) of their prenatal leave to the postnatal period (thus enabling the postnatal leave period to be up to 22 weeks in total)
- Increasing employer-paid paternity leave for workers in the private sector from five to 10 workdays, matching the entitlement in the public sector
- Introducing a new leave entitlement of 10 workdays for foster parents, to be taken from the day the child is placed with the family
Employer implications
Among companies surveyed by WTW, 9% provide more maternity leave than the current statutory minimum, topping up social security benefits to 100% of pay for 20 weeks at the median; 21% offer paid paternity leave above the statutory minimum, providing 16 days at 100% of pay at the median. Employers should monitor the legislative process and be ready to adjust their internal policies, if necessary, once the legislation is finalized.
