Labour Minister to deliver more maternity benefit

Government is moving to increase the maternity leave benefit from 13  weeks to 14 weeks within coming weeks. Labour Minister Errol McLeod said yesterday that Government would bring legislation to Parliament within a week to do this and to amend the Master and Servants Ordinance. The latter is affiliated with maternity leave legislation. McLeod also signalled interest in pushing for greater paternity leave for males. He said he had pursued paternity leave for between three to  five days in his previous incarnation.

He added: “It’s all a work in progress. I look forward to bringing to Parliament one of these days, provisions that would encourage the males in our society,” McLeod added.

 

McLeod said Cabinet agreed to extend the maternity leave benefit to fulfill one of its promises from the PP’s Fyzabad Accord of 2012 and its election manifesto. He said work on the National Insurance legislation would have to be amended to facilitate the change to the maternity benefit. On the cost of the measure, McLeod said this would relate to the wage or salary of the respective person accessing the benefit. The cost would be revealed in the amendment to the NIS legislation, he projected. On the business community’s possible view of further maternity leave for women—and its possible consequences—McLeod said Government had held consultations with all stakeholder partners including business on the issue and they had agreed.