Pablo Iglesias, leader of Podemos, has attended today his last plenary session of the year in the Congress of Deputies, which he will not return until March. The reason? It will catch three months of paternity leave They still belong to take care of their twins born in summer. That makes it the first politician who suspends his activity for such a long time to devote himself to his children.
Recall that the twins of Pablo Iglesias and Irene Montero arrived in the world much earlier than expected, with just six months of gestation. After being admitted for three months in intensive care, both babies were discharged and were finally able to take them home.
The mother, a parliamentary spokesperson for Podemos, took care of the children during all this time and now they have decided that she returns to work and it is he who stays at home with the children.
"I can't think of a better plan for the coming months than taking care of my children," Iglesias said.
In Babies and more "Let's go children, let's go", the beautiful words of Pablo Iglesias to his premature twins that have moved usPermits in case of premature twins
Before the birth of a premature baby and as in this case in a multiple birth, parents are entitled to broader paternity and maternity leave.
In Spain, maternity leave is 16 weeks, but if it is a multiple birth, as has been the case, the permit is extended by 2 more weeks for each child, from the second. That is to say, 18 weeks if there are two children, 20 if they are triplets and so on.
If the baby also remains admitted after delivery for a period of more than seven days, the maternity leave will be extended as many days as the newborn is hospitalized, with a maximum of 13 additional weeks.
When children are born premature or must remain hospitalized for any reason, permits begin to be received upon hospital discharge.
Iglesias was absent for two months when his children were born. However, that period did not count as parental leave since the babies were born premature and the law allows exclusive attention of the parents in the first weeks of hospitalization.
Thus, taking into account the permissions of both, six months of leave are added that the couple decided to divide in half and the mother already enjoyed, so she still the father has three months of leave pending.
In Babies and more Do you equate paternity leave or extend maternity leave? Different positions on conciliationThe leader of Podemos said that the permit will be distributed in order to "be exemplary" and consistent with your ideas. He has taken the opportunity to express the position of Podemos on paternity and maternity leave:
"We have argued that paternity leave must be equal and non-transferable, which means that they have to be shared at 50%. When they are transferable in the end, it is always women who have to take care of the children and children. Men are not here to help our partners, but to co-responsible "
Although this is a topic with which many parents disagree. There are those who defend that the maternity leave should be extended to a minimum of six months and that it should not be imposed "halfway" but rather that each couple decide how to distribute it, according to their needs.
