Nigerian male workers have requested the government to provide paternity leave allowance.
The male workers under the aegis of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) made this request.
President of the TUC, Quadri Olaleye said the leave allowance would enable them to handle some of the expenses that may arise while they are on leave. Also, this would enable men to bond with their newborn babies.
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Olaleye embraced the idea of 14-day paternity leave by the Federal Government. He also emphasized that staying at home with their family during the leave would incur more expenses.
“For us to stay as our wives have delivered means our expenses will increase. Even if it is a token, it will be a very good thing. That shows that the government is thinking in the right direction considering the pandemic that is still biting hard on households,” he said.
The TUC President also said paternity leave is important for the mental health of the new mother. He said that some women who experienced PTSD need moral support from their husbands.
He said, “that the husband could also be at home to give moral support and reduce the mental health issues at that moment.
“Moreso, the government has to concentrate more on providing an enabling environment for job creation as the pandemic has taken a lot of jobs. Tax relief should also be given rather than legislators considering reviewing tax upwards so that workers can have more disposable income to take care of the situation. Government should lead by providing jobs so that the private sector can do as well in their organisations.”
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The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) also embraced the idea.
The President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute, Olusegun Mojeed said the HR is very concerned about employees’ welfare.
According to him, it is important to put empathy and consideration in getting optimal value from employees.
His words: “HR is not a hire and fire role. It has evolved to be more strategic and transformational, thus helping organisations deliver on their mandate, through the most important resource in the workplace; the people.”
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Mojeed revealed that the CIPM is working with the necessary stakeholders to implement this. The Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the CIPM will deliver the new Performance Management System (PMS). The PMS is a system designed to boost service performance.
He said that the PMS had replaced the Annual Performance Evaluation Review, APER. This replacement is in line with the revised Public Service Rules (PSR).
Source: The Guardian
