By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas is preparing to overhaul its maternity and paternity leave laws by mid-2026, according to Public Service and Labour Minister Pia Glover-Rolle, who warned that the country is “on the lower end of the threshold” regarding maternity leave compared to the rest of the world.

Mrs Glover-Rolle also said the government is on track to ratify key International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions on maternity protection before the end of this year.

She said The Bahamas remains “on the lower end of the threshold” compared with regional and global peers and said reforms are overdue.

“As the world evolves, our framework, our laws have to evolve,” Mrs Glover-Rolle said. “You will find that in The Bahamas, we are on the lower end of the threshold in terms of maternity leave. We have benchmarked with countries around the region and around the world, and the recommendation is to increase the benefits for maternity, and I cannot say that without speaking about paternity, because what this overall process does is it helps to improve and strengthen the social and therefore economic fibre of our country.”

The minister said the reforms will include an expanded maternity leave period — expected to rise beyond the current 12 weeks to at least 14 weeks — and the introduction of paid paternity leave for the first time in Bahamian law. Draft recommendations circulated by her ministry propose two weeks of paid paternity leave, accessible once every three years, alongside an increase in maternity benefits to align with regional standards.

Her comments came during a validation workshop hosted by the National Tripartite Council (NTC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service and Labour and the ILO. The session focused on moving The Bahamas toward ratification of ILO Convention 183, which guarantees workplace protections for pregnant workers and new mothers.

Mrs Glover-Rolle described the convention as “broad and human-centred,” covering pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and the postnatal period, and underscoring the right of women to work in an environment that safeguards their health and dignity.

The minister said the workshop marked a crucial step in the national consultation process before recommendations go to Cabinet and then Parliament for ratification.

Earlier this year, Mrs Glover-Rolle told the National Tripartite Council that there was “nothing stopping” an expansion of maternity leave. Officials say the council is leaning toward recommending 14 weeks of maternity leave, short of the 20 weeks some advocates want, with a final proposal expected before year-end.

The event also formed part of the government’s plan to align its labour framework with international standards. Alongside the maternity convention, the government is advancing ratification of ILO Conventions 155 and 187, which deal with occupational safety and health.

Mrs Glover-Rolle said her ministry and its partners had completed a gap analysis identifying where Bahamian laws fall short of ILO requirements, and that the reforms will be finalised after the validation process concludes.

“The workshops were for ratification of ILO Conventions on maternity protection,” she said. “It goes to Cabinet to approve, to go to Parliament for ratification, just like how we ratify any other international convention. The law change would be regarding the legislative reform which we have already gone through the consultative process and now we are basically at drafting.”

She said she was confident all three conventions would be ratified by the end of this year, with the legislative reforms to follow by the first or second quarter of 2026.

Mrs Glover-Rolle said the initiative reflects ongoing cooperation between her ministry, the ILO and social partners to advance gender equality and decent work.

“When we protect mothers and children, we are protecting the social and economic fibre of our country,” she said. “Maternity protection reflects the recognition that women should never be forced to choose between the well-being of their child and their right to work.”

The workshop also marked the fourth anniversary of The Bahamas’ Decent Work Country Programme, a joint effort with the ILO to modernise labour laws and align local standards with global best practice.

“This agenda is not static,” Mrs Glover-Rolle said. “It is living, it is moving, it is evolving, and it is a commitment to building a better Bahamas for all.”

ILO officials from Trinidad and Geneva joined the session virtually, along with representatives of trade unions, employer groups and civil-society organisations.