Pereira Coutinho questions government on maternity leave

Lawmaker Pereira Coutinho delivered a written enquiry to the government, last month, regarding the inequalities between the public and the private sector on the number of days of leave that women are entitled to when giving birth.

Coutinho claimed to have received a number of complaints from women working in the private sector. According to the labor law currently in force, women are entitled to 54 days of maternity leave while those working in the public sector are granted 90 days.

Coutinho says that article 25 of the Macau Basic Law states that, “All Macau residents shall be equal before the law, and shall be free from discrimination, irrespective of their nationality, descent, gender, race, language, religion, political persuasion or ideological belief, educational level, economic status or social conditions.”

The lawmaker sees that although 17 years have passed since the establishment of the MSAR, “neither the law or the fundamental rights of the general population have reached the level of those working in the public sector.”

Although lawmaker Leong Veng Chai already addressed the topic and questioned the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL) in May 2015, Coutinho claims that the bureau did not provide a clear explanation and the establishment of 54 days of maternity leave was “taken in note of the protection to the workers and the capacity of acceptance of the employers.”

Coutinho demands further explanations and clarifications remarking once more that Macau is lagging behind on maternity leave policy, citing the example of mainland China (where the maternity leave can reach 120 days) and Hong Kong where the current law provides 70 days of leave. RM