Assemblyman wants one month paternity leave for fathers

- File photo

EDDISON THOMAS, stand-in representative for Mt St George/Goodwood, during a special debate, has called on the THA to establish a policy for one-month paternity leave for fathers.

“We can lead the way for the entire country in that regard until it is recognised in law, of course,” he said on November 10 while contributing to motion calling on the THA to establish a sustainable, multi-sectoral programme to address the mental health challenges plaguing men in Tobago.

The motion, moved by Minority Leader Keigon Denoon, was the focal point of the THA’s first Men’s Debate to commemorate International Men’s Day, which is being observed on November 19.

Thomas bemoaned the treatment often meted out to fathers.

“It is hard for me because even though I am honoured to be here today to debate, when I was doing my preparations, it saddened me to see the state of the affairs of how men are treated,” he said.

“I am speaking about when I had to stand in for the birth of my daughter and after going through that process, I had to sit on a bench outside of the maternity ward.

“If we are saying that we want to do the thing proper, not just allowing me to see the birth but also accommodating them after it is done.”

Thomas said when his wife had their baby, he tried to get leave from work to assist her at home during her recovery.

“Thank God for my mother and my mother-in-law because I was not getting any paternity leave to help her. How come 14 weeks of maternity leave is recognised in law but we could only get three days as a CPO recommendation?”

He continued, “It means what the state is saying to me as a father is that we only recognising the mother’s role in law but not tolerating the father’s role in practice. It could never be.

“How come that even a woman or a mother who is uninsured under the NIB (National Insurance Board) scheme can still be reached through an insured father with a maternity benefit of $3,750 but still no paternity benefit. Make it make sense.

“It is saying that the men are payers and the mothers are beneficiaries. And seeing as though the current administration in central government advised the NIB to raise the NIS (National Insurance System) contributions from January 1, 2026, and we still don’t have a paternity benefit, what is it saying to fathers? Are you encouraging us to participate in fatherhood?”

Thomas also called on the NIB to extend the same $3,750 as a one-time paternity benefit for fathers in the first instance.

He advised the THA to establish a men’s group to advocate for all gender-related programmes.