The State Duma will introduce a bill on paid paternity leave at the birth of a child

In Russia, fathers may be allowed to take paid leave at the birth of a child. As Izvestia found out on June 24, the relevant bill was prepared for submission to the State Duma by deputies of the LDPR faction led by Leonid Slutsky.

"At the request of a woman, she is granted parental leave until she reaches the age of three in accordance with Article 256 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation (Labor Code of Russia. — Ed.). Parental leave can also be granted to fathers, but only to those who actually take care of the child," says the explanatory note, which is available to Izvestia.

They recalled that according to Article 128 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, Russians have the right to receive unpaid leave for up to five calendar days at the birth of a child.

Thus, the document concluded that fathers in fact cannot fully care for a newborn and provide support to the mother, since the woman spends several days in the hospital after the birth of the child.

It is noted that the possibility of granting leave to fathers without pay due to the birth of children does not allow men to participate in family life due to financial difficulties.

"The implementation of the initiative will be an additional motivation for fathers to take a vacation and be with their family on the most crucial days of the birth of a child," the document says.

As Slutsky explained, instead of being with his wife at the most important time for her, men are forced to earn money, which is so necessary for all young families. According to him, Russia should build a support system for fathers and create "necessary conditions" for them.

Paid leave: a new procedure for calculating average earnings has been approved

The changes affected the definition of average income, including the calculation of vacation pay, severance payments and other payments.

Earlier, on May 15, the head of the State Duma Committee on Social Policy, Yaroslav Nilov (LDPR), announced the introduction of a bill securing for employees the right to extend or postpone annual paid leave in case of temporary disability related to caring for a sick child.