Portugal: bereavement leave following death of a child extended to 20 days

The parental leave entitlement in Portugal following the death of one’s child has been increased to 20 days, compared to five at present, without any cut in pay. With this change, Portugal brings its policy closer to that in place in Denmark, where parental bereavement leave is 26 weeks for the death of a child under the age of 18. In Malta, for example, the entitlement is a single day, while in France parents of a child who dies before the age of 25 are given seven days of leave. The shift in Portugal comes via an amendment to Article 251 of the country’s labour code, which was initiated by a citizens’ association that, by collecting 80,000 signatures, forced the country’s parliament to examine the proposal. It was unanimously approved by the members of parliament. The extended leave allowance does not apply in the event of the death of a spouse or parent, for which the entitlement remains five days. The two days of leave granted for second and third-degree relatives (grandparents and grandchildren, for example) as well as second-degree collateral relatives (brother, brother-in-law and adopted child) are also unchanged. The new article of the labour code also provides for psychological assistance to be paid for by the national health service in the event of the death of an ascendant, descendant or spouse.