Nurse leave

This leave extends the maternity leave.

It is governed by the Collective Labour Convention or is the result of an agreement with the employer and is usually unpaid.

If the leave is unpaid, it is important to pay a continuous fee to the health care insurance in order to maintain your rights related to health care (personal contribution paid by you).

The unpaid breastfeeding leave is not taken into account when calculating the worked (or assimilated) days to determinate the amount of your pension and for the mandatory probationary period for receiving unemployment benefits.

Moreover, your holidays will be reduced the year after taking this leave. This reduction will depend on the duration of the breastfeeding leave.

Sometimes, the breastfeeding leave can be assimilated to a sick leave.

Such is the case when a woman performs duties recognized by law as intrinsically dangerous to her health or that of her child (see Article 7, paragraph 2 of the Royal Decree of May 2nd, 1995 concerning the protection of maternity) and/or any work presenting a danger to her health or that of her child due to circumstances related to the working conditions of the company (in this second case, it is the work physician who decides on case by case).

In this case, an allowance equal to 60% of the gross earnings for a maximum period of five months starting on the day of the childbirth.