During a discussion on the bill on making amendments and supplements to the Labor Code of Armenia held as part of today’s session of the Standing Committee on Healthcare and Social Affairs of the National Assembly, deputy of the My Step faction, author of the bill Tsovinar Vardanyan said the bill will provide fathers with the opportunity for leave after the birth of a child.

“The My Step faction proposes to enshrine the right of fathers to a five-day paid leave within the time limit of 30 days following the birth of a child,” Vardanyan clarified, adding that the leave will be granted upon the father’s consent, and payment will be made by calculating the average salary for each day of leave. According to her, this practice is common in several countries, and Armenia envisages similar mechanisms, but only for large international corporations.

Another amendment concerns people who are de facto caring for a child, but are on maternity leave. Based on the amendments, the working conditions can’t change significantly during the period of care for a child under the age of one, except for the change of position or category.

The amendments will enter into force on January 1, 2021.