Family Responsibilities

Paternity Leave

What is the relevant legislation on paternity leave?

The Decent Work Act, 2015, provides the legal basis for paternity leave entitlements in Liberia.

What is the length of paternity leave?

The employed father of a child is entitled to five days’ leave without pay at the time of the child’s birth, provided that this leave may not be taken before the mother’s confinement and shall be taken within the first month after the birth of the child unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Is paternity leave paid or unpaid? Who pays for it, and what percentage of normal salary is paid during paternity leave?

Paternity leave in Liberia is unpaid.

Does the law require paternity leave for new fathers?

The employed father of a child is entitled to five days’ leave without pay at the time of the child’s birth; however, there is a condition:

A man who has more than one wife cannot claim paternity leave for children born to more than one wife. He must inform the employer which wife the leave applies to.

Sources: §20.3 of the Decent Work Act, 2015

Parental Leave

What is the relevant legislation on parental leave?

The Decent Work Act, 2015, does not specifically provide for general parental leave, but the law offers separate entitlements for maternity and paternity leave.

Flexible Work Option for Parents / Work-Life Balance

What is the relevant legislation on flexible work for parents of minor children?

The Decent Work Act, 2015, includes limited provisions concerning family care responsibilities. It does not mandate flexible work arrangements (such as reduced hours or part-time schedules) specifically for parents of minor children.

However, it does allow:

Five days of paid leave per year to care for or support an immediate family member in cases of personal illness, injury, or an unexpected emergency.

This entitlement does not accumulate over the years and is not compensable upon the termination of employment unless otherwise specified in a collective agreement.

The law defines an employee’s immediate family as including children (biological or adopted), a married spouse, an unmarried partner in a marriage-like relationship, parents (including adoptive parents), grandparents, and siblings (biological or adopted).

Family care leave is granted in addition to any other leave entitlements under this Act.

Does the law require employers to provide paid nursing breaks to women workers?

The Decent Work Act, 2015, requires employers to provide paid nursing breaks to breastfeeding women workers.

A breastfeeding employee who returns to work after childbirth is entitled to either:

• A 60-minute reduction in daily working hours, or
• Two 30-minute breaks per workday.

These breaks are fully paid and considered part of the employee's regular working hours. This entitlement lasts until the child reaches six months of age and is in addition to regular rest periods.

Sources: §19.1, 19.4 & 20.6 of the Decent Work Act, 2015

Special Leaves

What other types of leave are permitted under the labour legislation and not covered elsewhere (other than annual leave, paternity leave, parental leave, maternity leave, and sick leave)? These could be compassionate leave, care leave, marriage leave, bereavement leave, study leave, etc.

In Liberia, employees are also entitled to 5 days of paid bereavement leave per year in the event of a family member’s death, which does not accumulate or carry over.

Furthermore, employees may take reasonable unpaid leave to attend trade union meetings or training courses, with payment at the employer’s discretion. These entitlements are in addition to other leave provisions under the Act.

Sources: §19.5 and 37.4(e) of the Decent work Act, 2015