Employees In Colombia Set To Be Granted Two Days Paid Leave To Mourn The Death Of Their Pet

Employees in Colombia are set to be given two days' paid leave if their pet dies, as part of proposed new laws.

Member of the Colombian Liberal Party, Alejandro Carlos Chacon brought forward a bill that would oblige employers to pay two days of paid leave following the death of an employee's beloved animal.

According to the news site El Tiempo, Chacon said: "Some people do not have children but they do have a much-loved pet with which they develop a deep brotherly bond."

Image: Unsplash puppyhero.com

The 48-year-old politician added that the compassionate change would help people 'overcome their grief and pain of losing these beloved animals without being preoccupied with their jobs and that the bill will be applicable to the majority of families in Colombia, where six out of 10 households own a 'pet'.

El Tiempo reports the bill was filed before the general secretary of the House of Representatives and seeks to recognise mourning for the loss of an animal companion.

The politician quotes the bill as saying it aims to 'establish the employer's obligation to grant the worker paid mourning leave for the death of his domestic companion animal and the worker's duty to inform the employer that within their family nucleus has a companion and domestic animal as a requirement to access the benefit'.

The law is said to describe a pet as an animal with which the owner has a "strong sentimental bond".

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According to the bill, an employee would have access to the paid leave only if they told their boss about the pet before the death and have evidence. "The worker must inform the employer at the beginning of the employment [...] or no later than two days after the acquisition or adoption of the animal, that within their family nucleus there is a domestic companion animal," it says.

It also stated the death of an exotic animal will not make someone eligible for two paid days¡¯ mourning.

There were some concerns about workers lying about this, but the bill aims to discourage this by issuing fines of an unspecified amount. For it to become law in Colombia, it will have to pass four debates between the Senate and the House of Representatives.

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The exact date of when the bill will pass or be rejected is not clear.

Well, here's hoping the country passes this proposition.