Fathers may be forced to forgo paternity leave as some employers warn they won't pay
Early indications are that just under half of employers plan to top up the weekly paternity benefit of €230 that fathers will receive from the State to bring it up to the level they are normally paid when the scheme comes into effect next September.
There are warnings that for a father who is the breadwinner in the home or whose partner normally works but is also reduced to the €230 weekly maternity benefit, the income drop would be too much to manage while trying to meet the extra costs of a new baby.
