A GRANDMA from Zaragoza has won her fight to be entitled to 16 weeks' maternity leave to look after her new baby granddaughter.

The baby's mum died in childbirth, meaning her grandmother has been awarded custody – but the company she worked for refused to let her take maternity leave to care for the baby in the first four months of her life.

Leading union UGT stated in court that the Workers' Statute allows for cases such as this, and that a royal decree passed in 2009 recognises the right to maternity or paternity leave for family members whose sole duty it is to look after a new baby.

They say it is consistent with laws  covering adoption leave, whereby parents are entitled to a certain amount of paid leave to care for the new child.

This would apply in the case of the grandmother in question, says the UGT, since by law, she is unable to adopt the child.

The verdict, passed by the Aragón regional court, is said to have set a legal precedent.