Egypt’s Senate rejected on Sunday a proposal by an MP to give a paid paternal leave of seven days to fathers to care for their newly born babies in the first six months during a debate of women labour-related-articles in the new draft labour law.

MP Mohamed Farid from the Coordination Committee of Party Youth and Politicians (CPYP), who presented the proposal, said during the discussion that many Arab and foreign countries adopt paternal leaves to care for the newly born.

Nevertheless, the proposal did not receive the consent of most of the members of Senate, the consultative Upper House.

Senate Speaker Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek commented on the proposal that it was a fine idea, but every society has its own circumstance.

The Manpower Ministry’s representative, who attended the session, revealed that the National Council for Woman presented a similar suggestion, adding that the government can take it into consideration later. 

The Senate discussed on Sunday article 50 from the Labour draft law that stipulates that female workers have the right to take a paid maternity leave for a period of four months including the period preceding and following delivery, provided that period of such leave shall not be less than 45 days on the condition she submits medical certificate indicating the likely date of the delivery.

The article adds that women workers shall not have this leave for more than three times throughout her work career.

During the session, several MPs proposed to reduce the number of paternal leaves allowed from three to two times in the law but the suggestion was rejected.

The Senate also agreed on article 56 from the draft law that stipulates that work owners who hire 100 women workers or more must establish a daycare center in work or assigned a daycare center for the workers’ children in accordance with the Child law

The article added that work establishments located in one area and employ less than one hundred women workers shall participate in establishing in one daycare center or assign a daycare center for their workers in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Child law.

The Senate will convene Monday to resume discussions over the articles of the country's new labour law following a two-week holiday.

The discussions kicked off on Saturday and continued on Sunday.

The Senate, which gave a preliminary approval of the law on 2 January, finished discussing and passing 38 articles out of a total 267 on Saturday.