The ongoing push for universal paid maternity leave has received another boost with one of Australia’s largest employers of women offering paid leave for the first time.
The decision by Woolworths, which has 85,000 female staff nationally, has been described as “very significant” by the retail union and welcomed by others who saw it as a step towards a universal government-mandated scheme.
There could be further moves afoot after another large employer, Coles, also said it would “be carefully watching developments as they unfold”. However, it said there was no current plan for a paid maternity leave scheme.
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