MLA Chris Saunders in the LA, 2 July 2020

(CNS): MLA Chris Saunders (BTW) has said that Caymanians need to make more children to prevent the country from getting into future trouble as a result of a declining birth rate. The opposition MLA made the plea to the country during a debate about amending the Labour Law to make maternity leave provisions for private sector workers equal to those offered in the civil service.

Presenting his private members motion asking government to consider aligning maternity leave between the civil service and the private sector, Saunders explained that the Legislative Assembly had a responsibility to make laws for good government that should be equal and inclusive.

But mothers employed in the private sector, while having the same objectives, responsibilities and challenges as those in the civil service, were not equal and were getting far less maternity leave. While public sector mothers are getting two months paid and one month unpaid leave, those in the private sector get only one month of their time off paid.

He said the inconsistency needed to be corrected for several reasons, not least that government needed to take a leadership role in promoting family life because Caymanians were not replacing themselves. He said Cayman had poor parental rights, which would need to be improved in the long run as the jurisdiction developed. But in the meantime, this alignment would be a step in the right direction.

Despite Caymans strong support for family life, the birth rate is falling, with couples now having less than two children on average.

We need to accept as our population is getting older and we dont have enough people coming behind us to replace ourselves, this is going to be a problem, he said, noting that the fertility rate here is 1.87%, which includes non-Caymanians.

Caymanians were not growing their own indigenous population, which would cause structural problems down the line if this issue was not addressed, Saunders said, as he implied that increasing maternity leave could help.

I know some members have gone out and made multiple children Ive made three so Im above the natural replacement rate, he said, adding that he and his wife had done their job and pointed to other members who had contributed to growing the population.

While he accepted that consideration had to be given to small businesses, he suggested an incremental increase to the maternity benefit to give businesses time to plan. Saunders spoke about the need for more long-term planning in Cayman and to use the census, expected to take place in October, to inform that planning.

Premier Alden McLaughlin said that government was prepared to accept the motion and consider the proposal.

The original motion was amended to increase the time period for government to address the issue to the end of 2021.

See the motion in the CNS Library

See the motion debate on CIGTV below:

More:

Caymanians urged to have more kids - Cayman Islands Headline News - Cayman News Service