Deputies call for more sensitive enforcement of maternity leave

DEPUTIES On the House Labour Committee yesterday called on the Social Insurance Department to change the way they classified maternity leave for women who suffered a difficult pregnancy.

The Committee disagreed with the department’s policy of treating women who had to take time off work during a difficult pregnancy as being on maternity leave, thereby leaving them with less time off after the birth. Deputies called on the department to change its procedure within one month.

The chairman of the Committee, AKEL deputy Sotiroula Charalambous, explained the problem was not the law governing maternity leave and pay but its implementation by the Social Insurance Department.

“A woman who gives birth to a premature child uses up her maternity leave and then has to apply for sick leave,” said Charalambous. She said this defeated the object of the law.
Charalambous said the problem could be solved easily if women experiencing difficult pregnancies could be given sick leave, rather than maternity leave. “Maternity leave should begin two weeks before the baby is due,” said Charalambous.

A law passed in January 2003 stipulates that both parents were also entitled to 13 weeks’ leave off work to be taken any time from the end of maternity leave until their child was six years old.

Charalambous said that even though fathers were entitled to take this leave, none had done so. The law states that during these 13 weeks, the father would not get paid a salary, but would receive social insurance funds.

Charalambous said she hoped mothers and fathers would take advantage of these 13 weeks’ leave available.

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