The municipality of Cascais will introduce grandparental leave, similar to maternity and paternity leave, which gives grandparents time to “actively participate in the support and education of their grandchildren,” the municipality announced this Thursday.
“It is planned to be provided to each grandmother and grandfather for a period of one month at the birth of the first grandchild, which can be divided into four periods and valid until the child turns 3 years old,” the mayor said. Cascais, Carlos Carreiras (PSD), quoted in a note from the municipality.
The measure also stipulates that “for each grandchild, after the first, leave will be increased by another half month, and for each grandchild, grandparents can request a reduction in the IMI rate by 0.025.” [Imposto Municipal sobre Imóveis]”, states the municipality in the message.
According to the chamber, this initiative is one of the strategies that will be adopted as a result of the “Study on Aging in the Municipality of Cascais” and the presentation of the strategy and the “Plan on Aging – Old Age and Social Policy of the Municipality”, in close collaboration with the Institute of the University of Lisbon.
The expansion of traditional parental leave policies reflects the evolution of family dynamics in the modern economic and social context, “where grandparents are increasingly becoming important participants in the provision of care, moving from a supporting role to an important role for many families.” allocated by the municipality.
In this sense, the study “recognized the reality that extended family involvement in childcare has taken different configurations over the years” and that costs for crèches, crèches or kindergartens “carried a significant weight in the family budget.” , which is a strong obstacle to having children.”
According to the Social Report 2023, the municipality of Cascais, in the district of Lisbon, “employs 2,369 workers, of which 41.62%” are aged 55 years or older, the youngest being 19 and the oldest being 74, that is, four different generations into the same work context.
These generations “have different views on what a career is, what a job is, what they want to get out of their professional context and the speed at which they complete tasks”, and the move to support older people also extended to municipal companies, goes to meeting on “sustainable employment, which is a set of policies that enable organizations to cope with these challenging conditions.”
The seniority license will be implemented for the first time “as a public policy measure, although it already exists in the private sector, as part of a suite of benefits aimed at attracting and retaining talent” and “recognition and support”. for caregivers,” the note explains.
The municipality of Cascais, with this measure, “emphasizes the importance it attaches to the reconciliation of professional life with personal and family life, social cohesion and family cohesion.”
According to the municipality, given also the older age of the first child and increasing life expectancy, many people become grandparents “while they are still working”, also weighing into the equation such indicators as “the pressure of the cost of living, wages, which do not increase proportionally with inflation and an ever-later retirement age, creating a generation that will have grandchildren and dependent parents leading full working lives.”
Despite the limited municipal scope, the municipality announced that “companies and organizations of a social, associational, cultural and sporting scale in the municipality will be invited to join this license, receiving a 25% discount on the IMI on their capabilities.”
In 2012, the municipality established social grants in private kindergartens with the aim of supporting families with low incomes (up to IRS category 4 – personal income tax) and access to kindergarten places through a progressive reimbursement of monthly income. payment.
“At the same time, it supported kindergartens in the solidarity sector, thereby providing a number of aspects that the central state does not provide, encouraging the inclusion of children from low-income families,” recalled the municipality.
The municipality’s workers’ committee gave a positive opinion and considered the new measure “a significant step forward in supporting families,” the note also said.
The measure was announced as part of the initiative part of Municipality Week, when Cascais celebrates the 660th anniversary of its existence.
Tuesday also announced the appointment of a new Ombudsman for Children and Elderly, a space created to help build a fairer society that meets the needs and protects the rights of the most vulnerable population in the municipality, promoting the rights, freedoms, guarantees and interests of children under 18 years of age and people over 65 years of age.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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