On Wednesday (16 July), parliament passed in the second and third readings a new labour protection bill increasing paid parental leave from 90 to 120 days. Employees whose partners had given birth are also entitled to up to 15 days of paid parental leave.

During the second reading of the bill, some members of the drafting committee argued that paid leave should be raised to 180 days. People’s Party MP Wanvipa Maison, for one, argued that it should be 180 days, 90 days of which could be shared with spouses. Citing UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), she explained that a 180-day leave would benefit both mother and child. She also noted that it would help to address Thailand’s low birth rate, give workers more time to raise their children, and make it easier for fathers to help.

Quoting WHO guidelines, Wefair’s Nitirat Sapsomboon also called for a longer leave, noting that babies should be breastfed for at least 180 days. He added that the Maternity Protection Convention of the International Labour Organization (ILO) stipulates that mothers are entitled to a minimum 14 weeks of parental leave, and should ideally receive 18.

If the period of leave is too short, Nitirat said, it could affect the child’s health as mothers have to stop breastfeeding. He added that guaranteeing parental leave would help to solve Thailand’s low birthrate issue. Citing a report by Economist Intelligence Unit, he said that the falling birth rate was due, in part, to women having to choose between working or having children. Noting that maternal rights are protected by the Constitution, he argued that increasing paid leave to 180 days would also promote gender equality.

According to Worasit Liangprasit, Bhumjaithai Party MP and chair of the drafting committee, the committee decided on 120 days after taking all factors into consideration, including the current economic issues. He added that the leave period could be increased to 150 or 180 days by a royal decree whenever the economy improves and circumstances warrant it.

Parliament voted 423 to 0 to approve the bill as proposed by the drafting committee, with 1 abstention. It then voted 406 to 1 to pass the bill in its third reading.

The bill will now be forwarded to the Senate for three more readings before it can become law.