Moroccan Tobacco Firm Introduces Groundbreaking 20-Week Paid Parental Leave

31 December 2020 – byGinette · 1 min read

As of January 1, 2021, workers at JTI North Africa, a subsidiary in Morocco of JTI (Japan Tobacco International), will be entitled to 20 weeks of parental leave when they have a baby, by birth or adoption. It is an attractive proposal never recorded before, especially since these 20 weeks will be fully paid.

This initiative, the first in Morocco, aims to allow parents to enjoy the first days of their child and devote as much time as possible to them without worrying about work and other responsibilities within the company. Simon Matta, the director of JTI North Africa, stated in a press release that the company is delighted to be able to offer these privileged moments for the consolidation of the family, the nucleus of society. In Morocco, the maternity leave does not exceed 14 weeks for mothers and only 3 days for fathers.

The new plan will apply from January 1, 2021 for women and January 1, 2022 for men. However, new fathers will benefit from 4 weeks of parental leave in 2021 before moving to 20 weeks in 2022. According to Yassine Kabbaj, Director of Human Resources at JTI North Africa, "this new policy will make a real difference for new fathers. Even today, in 2020, men continue to be negatively judged when they take time for their family life." He explains that their role as a corporate citizen is to "change these perceptions that persist in the professional world".

Category: Morocco

Keywords:

Family Child