The Women’s General Association of Macau delivered a petition with 12,000 signatures to the Standing Committee for the Coordination of Social Affairs (CPCS) last week, appealing for the current 65 days of statutory maternity leave allowance (where the employee has been employed for more than one year in the company) to be increased to 90 days.
The association petitioned for improved welfare for pregnant women working in the private sector, bringing the sector in line with the conditions of those working in the public sector. Furthermore, it urged the government to raise the compensation granted, and penalties issued, in cases of unreasonable dismissal of pregnant women.
The group also urged CPCS to implement a five-day paid paternity leave for men. The association further suggested that the government should consider whether salaries paid during maternity leave should be borne by the government or employers.
The association also conducted a survey according to which 85 percent of the respondents want the government to increase paid maternity leave from the current 56 to 90 days.
3017 residents were surveyed, most of whom were women. Wong Kit Cheng, vice president of the Women’s Association, told TDM: “We are submitting the results to the authorities (Labour Affairs Bureau) as well as to the CPCS Standing Committee, so that when they amend the Labor Relations Law in the future, they consider the public’s opinions. Most respondents also want the government to introduce a paternity leave as well as to implement 90 days of paid maternity leave, just like various other countries in the world.”
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