The Protection of Maternity Law of 1997 was further amended on 20 May 2025. The recent development, as published in the Official Gazette (N.62(I)/2025), extends the timeframe from 9 to 12 months from birth, as the period of time when mothers may interrupt their employment for 1 hour per working day for the purposes of attending to their baby.
The 1 hour can be taken either during the working day or alternatively mothers may choose to go to work one hour later or leave work one hour earlier. This benefit also extends to mothers having adopted a child, in which case it starts from the date of commencement of their maternity leave.
The one-hour period is considered as working time and continues to be paid.
The mother who chooses to interrupt her work for 1 hour, may, during that time, breastfeed her baby or pump and store breastmilk and the employer is obliged to provide her with all the necessary facilities to do so.
It is worth noting that the maternity leave in Cyprus is 22 consecutive weeks.
Protection against Dismissal
It is always important to remember that a female employee is protected against termination or notice of termination of employment during the period commencing when she notifies her employer of her pregnancy and ending 5 months after maternity leave. This does not apply in cases where the female employee is guilty of serious misconduct, or the relevant business has ceased to operate, or her fixed contract period has expired.
If you have any queries about the above or need any assistance with employment law matters, please feel free to contact us at info@blegalcy.com.