Government Extends Benefits Of Extended Maternity Leave To Women Already On Such Leave

In another clarification issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Centre has explained that it is mandatory for employers to extend the benefit of enhanced maternity leave to those women workers who were already on maternity leave on the date of enforcement of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 i.e. as on April 1, 2017.

The clarification was issued in view of the queries received in response to an earlier clarification, wherein the Centre had stated that such benefits can be extended to women who are already on a maternity leave at the time of enforcement of this Amendment Act.

The Act had received the assent of the President on March 27, 2017, and had come into force on April 1, 2017. However, the provisions relating to permission required to work from home (Section 3(5) of the Act), will come into effect from July 1, 2017.

The Amendments protect the employment of women during the time of her maternity and entitle her of a ‘maternity benefit’ – i.e. full paid absence from work – to take care for her child. They are applicable to all establishments employing 10 or more persons.

Salient Features of the Act:

(i) Maternity leave available to the working women to be increased from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for the first two children.

(ii) Maternity leave for children beyond the first two will continue to be 12 weeks.

(iii) Maternity leave of 12 weeks to be available to mothers adopting a child below the age of three months as well as to the “commissioning mothers”. The commissioning mother has been defined as biological mother who uses her egg to create an embryo planted in any other woman.

(iv) Every establishment with more than 50 employees to provide for crèche facilities for working mothers and such mothers will be permitted to make four visits during working hours to look after and feed the child in the crèche.

(v) The employer may permit a woman to work from home if it is possible to do so.

(vi) Every establishment will be required to make these benefits available to the women from the time of her appointment.