Maternity Leave - Any Amendments To Maternity Benefit Act?

Hi,

I have learned that according to the Sixth Pay Commission, maternity leave for state, central govt., and civil/civic service employees has been extended to 6 months/180 days. My mom is a teacher with a government school, and they have revised the maternity leave to 6 months, whereas I work in a private organization where the policy states only 3 months of leave. I contacted HR, and they said the policy would be revised in case of changes to the Maternity Benefit Act. Are there any changes in the Maternity Benefit Act regarding maternity leave that would benefit people working in private organizations? Please confirm.

Regards, Gayatri Amardeep.

Dear Gayatri,

We do not find any changes in the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, insofar as the matter relates to the grant of maternity leave. It is still twelve weeks.

R.N.KHOLA

Let me add to what Khola has said, that there is no chance of an increase in the maternity leave days in tune with the maternity benefits offered to government employees. If the government proposes a change from the present 12 weeks to 180 days (!) and also a further 2 years (!!) during the period till the child attains 12 years, then I doubt if any employer would recruit any woman in his establishment.

Regards,
Madhu.T.K

Hi Madhu,

I agree with you on the point that if the duration of leave increases, employers will be less likely to prefer female employees. However, in some countries, Maternity Leave durations are more than 3 months; some have 6 months, and a few even have around nine months.

As of now, there have been no changes in the Maternity Act regarding an increase in Maternity Leave. But I personally believe that leave should be extended to 6 months for the betterment of both mother and child. Nowadays, there is a cultural shift towards single-income families where both husband and wife are working. This extension is the need of the hour.

(Personal view)

[White Eagle](http://kuldeeprathore.blogspot.com)

Hi,

I agree that maternity leave should be increased to 6 months since the first year of the child is the most crucial, and it is in the welfare of both the father and the mother to attend to the requirements of the child. In certain countries, maternity leave is given up to 1 year, and thankfully, the employers are not biased there. Some companies also support childcare leave until the child is 3 years old, but most women resort to it only in extreme situations as they would face monetary loss and miss out on promotions, which most professionals would avoid.

However, Gayatri, coming to the point, the Maternity Act here remains unchanged.

Regards

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First, we need to understand the private sector and public sector. The private sector provides maternity benefits that are typically more generous because they are business-oriented. There was an amendment in 2011 regarding medical bonuses. The current medical bonus ranges from 2500 to 3500.

Thank you.

Dear All,

Although the government has agreed to increase the maternity leave period to 6 1/2 months, the date from which this rule will be effective has not been defined. I personally believe that while 6 months of paid maternity benefit is a requirement for any working mother, 8 months is way too long, and women will start losing out on work opportunities if the paid leave duration is extended to 8 months.

I am working as a Manager HR in a reputed firm, am pregnant, and will be availing leave from 01st January 2016. However, I cannot wish for 8 months of leave for myself as I understand the perspective of my employer as well. I know he will not be happy because he will end up hiring a new person in my stead for these 8 months and would have to pay double salary.

Kindly share your views on this topic!

Dear All,

I wanted to inform you that the knowledge bill has already been submitted in the parliament house for a final decision. The proposed change is to extend the duration from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, but as of today, no decision has been reached. On the other hand, some companies are already providing 6 months of leave with full wages, while others offer 12 weeks of leave with wages along with 30 hours of duty per week for up to 8 months.

Thank you.

I feel that a 6-month maternity leave is good for the child to adjust to outside food, and the company can manage as well.