Social progress has been made in Monaco, with the passing of a new bill that allows co-workers to share unused leave and time off with colleagues in need. 

On 15th June, Monaco’s National Council voted in favour of a revolutionary bill that allows co-workers to share their unused holiday time with colleagues facing difficult family-related situations and requiring further time off work than would usually be permitted.  

A similar bill was passed in France in 2014, when the French government established a legal structure permitting employees to donate or gift their unused holidays to co-workers in complex family situations, such as needing to care round the clock for a sick loved one.  

The legislation was inspired by the story of a father to a 10-year-old boy, Mathys, who battled liver cancer for four years before his sad death in 2009. Christophe, the father, was an employee at Badoit and had been given 170 days of leave by colleagues, with the support of the company, to spend with his son.  

How does it work? 

Employees can now anonymously donate their congé or leave, should they wish to and upon the agreement of their boss, to the benefit of a co-worker experiencing three specific situations:  

• Being the parent or guardian of a child suffering from an illness, disability or serious injury that requires their sustained presence; 
• Having to assume responsibility for a relative suffering from an serious loss of autonomy or disability; and  
• The death of a child under the age of 25, the death of a spouse or legal partner, or the death of a child under the age of 25 of the pre-mentioned life partner.  

The bill allows an employee to retain payment throughout their absence as well as their employment status. Until the passing of the bill last week, only rare agreements within the private sector had allowed for anything close to this, although employees would more often than not see their contract suspended and receive no pay during the accepted absence. 

Monaco’s new legislature covers both private and public sector workers.  

“A welcome advancement” 

Speaking about the new bill, council member Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo said, “This gift is not for the sole benefit of the parent. It is the child who is the real winner because they will be able to, through this, have a person who loves them support them during difficult times.” 

National Council President Brigitte Boccone-Pagès described the bill as a “welcome social advancement” while Minister of Health and Social Affairs Christophe Robino said that it was evidence of “social progress” as well as a “political success”.  

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Photo source: Piron Guillaume for Unsplash