KINAL: Question about special purpose leave to working parents whose children have coronavirus

With a question to the Ministers of Labor & Social Affairs and Health, the deputies of the Movement for Change, members of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, George Moulkiotis, Andreas Poulas, Burhan Baran and George Fraggidis, ask for an immediate solution to the impasse. possibility of granting special purpose leave to working parents whose children have coronavirus.

The question emphasizes that at the time when “15,000 children have tested positive for coronavirus from the self-tests they did to return to school on January 10, 2022” and “the next day, at the second massive horizontal test for coronavirus cases in schools, another 9,688 self-tests were found on students and teachers “, the Government has not provided the possibility of granting special purpose leave to parents of children with coronavirus, which carries a very serious risk of extreme spread of the virus.

The text of the question is as follows:

“The special purpose permit, which was introduced by article 4 of the PNP of 11/3/2020 and ratified by article 2 of Law 4682/2020, concerned working parents of children who are enrolled in nurseries, nurseries and kindergartens or are studying in compulsory education units (ie up to the Gymnasium) or attend special schools or special education units, as well as working parents of persons with disabilities, who are entitled to receive this special leave in case of suspension of operation, as well as suspension the lifelong educational operation of care / training units / structures, and / or their departments in the context of tackling and limiting the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus.

Almost two years later and while the country continues to face the coronavirus pandemic the government decided to open schools normally.

More than 15,000 children tested positive for coronavirus by self-tests to return to classrooms on January 10, 2022, and the next day, at the second massive horizontal test for coronavirus in schools, another 9,688 self-tests were positive. to students and teachers,

Because, according to the data of the last seven days (Worldometers), Greece ranks third in the European Union in number of cases per million population and sixth in deaths,
Because failure to provide special purpose leave to parents of children with coronavirus carries a serious risk of extreme spread of the virus, as they themselves may continue to go to work normally,
Because for the protection of sick children and public health it is necessary to grant special purpose leave to their working parents,
Because teleworking covers only a percentage of the country’s total workforce,

Ask Mr. Ministers:

What care do you take to address the issue of employees whose children are diagnosed with coronavirus in relation to their home care?
Do you intend to take immediate action to institutionalize the possibility of granting special purpose leave to parents working in both the public and private sectors, whose children are infected with coronavirus, where teleworking is not possible? ”