The Czech government’s plan to extend parental leave for parents of young children has a flaw. Currently, parents of children under six years old can take a combined 230 weeks of parental leave. The new plan, which was approved in December, would allow parents to take an additional 78 weeks of leave until their child is four years old.
However, the plan has a “crack” that could allow some parents to take advantage of the system. The problem is that the government does not require parents to prove that they have a child under four years old when they start their leave. This means that parents could start their leave when their child is older than four years old and still receive the additional 78 weeks of leave.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has admitted that this is a problem, but they have not yet found a solution. They say that they are working on a proposal to require parents to provide proof of their child’s age when they start their leave.
The opposition party, TOP 09, has criticized the government for not addressing this issue before approving the plan. “This is a significant mistake, and it shows that the government did not think through this proposal properly,” said Kateřina Valachová, the deputy chair of TOP 09.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has said that they will continue to work on the issue and will present a proposal to address the problem soon