Paid maternity leave ‘a luxury’

PAID maternity leave was a luxury the country could not afford — even if the proposal did make the then single minister for labour popular with the ladies.

That was the view of a senior official in the department of Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave in 1976 who left no doubt as to his opposition to the idea.

The official, whose signature is unclear, wrote in response to a Department of Labour memo during the Fine Gael-Labour coalition outlining plans to provide all working women with an income for 12 weeks leave.