Solvay: global agreement on minimum levels of protection revised to align paternity and co-parent leave with maternity leave

On 15 December 2020, the management of the Belgian chemicals firm Solvay and its global staff representation body, the Solvay Global Forum (see article n°10248), revised their first global agreement on the minimum levels of protection for employees in terms of welfare and healthcare, signed on 22 February 2017 (see article n°10083), in order to extend parental leave (mothers, fathers, co-parents and adoptive parents) to 16 weeks.
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“As one of our key measures to strengthen gender equality, we are broadening our Solvay Cares benefit program. We are adapting our global policy of 14 weeks maternity leave to 16 weeks, extending it to co-parents employed by the company regardless of gender, by 2021,” the agreement says.


Maternity leave for Solvay employees is extended from 14 weeks at present to 16 weeks. The agreement specifies that staff taking such leave will be paid their “full remuneration”, as is paid during holiday and w

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