The Philippines House committee on women and gender equality chaired by Representative Emmeline Aglipay-Villar has endorsed for plenary approval a bill seeking to increase the maternity leave period with an option to extend that leave without pay.
House Bill 4113, a substitute measure for 15 bills, aims to protect the maternal health and postnatal health care of women employed in both the government service and private sector, as well as the welfare of the child.
“The bill reached second reading in the House and a version of the bill from the Senate was passed and transmitted for concurrence during the 16th Congress,” said Aglipay-Villar. Elizabeth Angsioco, National Chairperson of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP) and one of the resource persons during the committee hearing, said the existing maternity leave benefits of 60 to 78 days is extremely inadequate and applicable laws need to be amended.
“We belong to a group of countries with the shortest maternity leaves in the whole world based on the International Labor Organization (ILO) resources,” Angsioco said.
One of the key provisions of the bill is it increases the maternity leave period to 100 days with pay and an option to extend for an additional 30 days without pay for female workers in the government service and in the private sector.
Likewise, it grants the same coverage to female workers in both government and private sector regardless of civil status, miscarriage, or abortion after termination; to female workers in the informal economy, those with pending administrative cases and those who are not members of the Social Security System (SSS).
The proposal further assures security of tenure to female workers and emphasises that maternity leave shall not be used as basis for demotion in employment or termination, and allows transfer to a parallel position or reassignment from one organisational unit to another in the same agency provided that it shall not involve a reduction in rank, status or salary.
Another provision states that a female SSS member who has paid at least three monthly contributions in the 12-month period immediately preceding the semester of her childbirth or miscarriage shall be paid her daily maternity benefit which shall be computed based on the average monthly salary credit, for 100 days, regardless if the delivery was normal or by Caesarian and subject to conditions as provided in the bill.
The measure specifies that female workers in the private sector availing of the maternity period and benefits must receive not less than two-thirds of their regular monthly wages and that employers shall be responsible for the salary differential between the actual cash benefits received from the SSS and their average weekly or regular wages, for the entire duration of the ordinary maternity leave subject to exceptions.
These exceptions are: those operating distressed establishments; those retail/service establishments employing not more than 10 workers; those who pay their workers on a purely commission, boundary, or task basis; and those who are paid a fixed amount for performing a specific work.
Others included in the exceptions: those considered as micro business enterprises and are engaged in the production, processing, or manufacturing or products or commodities including agro-processing, trading, and services whose total assets are not more than P3 million; and those who are already providing similar or more than the benefits as provided in the bill.
The bill designates the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the SSS to immediately conduct a review of the maternity leave benefits of women employees in the government service and the private sector, respectively, and include maternity leave benefits in their valuation report conducted every four years for the SSS and every three years for the CSC, or more frequently as may be necessary.
Showing posts with label leave. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leave. Show all posts
28 October 2016
16 August 2016
National Australia Bank introduces enhanced parental leave policy for Asia
National Australia Bank (NAB) launched an enhanced parental leave policy in Asia in June 2016 to ensure that parental leave is available to all eligible employees regardless of gender and marital status. This includes the option for primary carers to take unpaid leave for a period of up to 12 months, of which NAB pays up to 12 weeks leave, without impacting the individual’s job scope or career path.
The types of leave available for eligible* employees include:
Pre-natal leave
Primary carer’s leave – paid and unpaid
Secondary carer’s leave – paid and unpaid
Adoption leave
Special parental leave
Kate Colley, Head of People, Asia and International Branches, commented: “At NAB we want to be Australia and New Zealand’s most respected bank – a key way we can achieve that vision is to understand and support our people by making it easy for them to reach their career and life goals.
“The Asia launch of the parental leave policy now aligns NAB in Asia with our group’s efforts in supporting married and single parents of children – biological or adopted – through greater work flexibility when they are the primary or secondary carer. Our enhanced parental leave policy considers the needs of our people from the time they are expecting or adopting a child right through to returning to work after a period of parental leave and provides them with a variety of leave options and working arrangements.
“As our understanding increases of the broader positive cognitive and emotional outcomes for children when fathers are given the opportunity to participate more fully in family life and childcare, we are proud to encourage our male employees in Asia to benefit from the parental leave policy.
“In doing so, we also want to better support and advance women’s careers by creating a culture that provides equal opportunity to all parents, regardless of gender and life goals.”
The policy also includes provision for pregnant employees who are fit for work but who experience illness or risks arising from the pregnancy, or who have identified hazards connected with the position, to be transferred to a safe job.
*Parental leave is available to all permanent employees who have completed at least 12 months continuous service at the time of taking leave. Employees with less than 12 months continuous service or serving the notice period of separation are not eligible for parental leave other than regulatory required, however they may be considered for a period of unpaid leave.
The types of leave available for eligible* employees include:
Pre-natal leave
Primary carer’s leave – paid and unpaid
Secondary carer’s leave – paid and unpaid
Adoption leave
Special parental leave
Kate Colley, Head of People, Asia and International Branches, commented: “At NAB we want to be Australia and New Zealand’s most respected bank – a key way we can achieve that vision is to understand and support our people by making it easy for them to reach their career and life goals.
“The Asia launch of the parental leave policy now aligns NAB in Asia with our group’s efforts in supporting married and single parents of children – biological or adopted – through greater work flexibility when they are the primary or secondary carer. Our enhanced parental leave policy considers the needs of our people from the time they are expecting or adopting a child right through to returning to work after a period of parental leave and provides them with a variety of leave options and working arrangements.
“As our understanding increases of the broader positive cognitive and emotional outcomes for children when fathers are given the opportunity to participate more fully in family life and childcare, we are proud to encourage our male employees in Asia to benefit from the parental leave policy.
“In doing so, we also want to better support and advance women’s careers by creating a culture that provides equal opportunity to all parents, regardless of gender and life goals.”
The policy also includes provision for pregnant employees who are fit for work but who experience illness or risks arising from the pregnancy, or who have identified hazards connected with the position, to be transferred to a safe job.
*Parental leave is available to all permanent employees who have completed at least 12 months continuous service at the time of taking leave. Employees with less than 12 months continuous service or serving the notice period of separation are not eligible for parental leave other than regulatory required, however they may be considered for a period of unpaid leave.
29 August 2015
DBS introduces enhanced paternity leave scheme in Singapore
DBS Bank will be implementing the enhanced paternity leave scheme in Singapore in line with the call by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to extend paternity leave during the National Day Rally of August 23. The scheme, announced August 26, allows new fathers in the bank to take two weeks of paternity leave with retrospective effect from January 2015.
Said Cheong Meng Foong, DBS Group Head of Rewards, “At DBS, people are our most important resource and we have always sought to support them in various ways. The enhanced paternity leave scheme will be a welcome addition to our suite of family-friendly programmes, aimed at promoting work-life balance for our staff. We hope that through these, employees will have more flexibility to better balance their family needs and careers.”
Apart from increased paternity leave, the bank already offers various employee benefits aimed at allowing staff to spend more time with their families and to pursue their interests. For example, the bank’s flexible working arrangements enable employees to choose working hours that best meet their individual needs and provide them with the option of working from home. On Fridays, staff can end work at 5pm and they are also entitled to a half-day birthday leave during their birthday month.
Staff also have a flexible spending account which they can use to fund health and wellness related expenses for the entire family. These are on top of industry standards such as paid childcare and family leave, which are in addition to bank employees’ annual leave.
Over the years, DBS Bank and the DBS Staff Union (DBSSU) have worked closely together to enhance staff benefits and to build a better workplace. Nora Kang, President of DBSSU said, “The initiative was announced at the DBS Staff Union 5th Delegates Conference. The union is glad that DBS is able to introduce the enhanced paternity leave scheme in such a short time. By being an early adopter of this national scheme, DBS shows itself as leading the way in staff welfare. We hope this will encourage more companies to step up in support of national efforts to strengthen family-friendly work environments.”
Said Cheong Meng Foong, DBS Group Head of Rewards, “At DBS, people are our most important resource and we have always sought to support them in various ways. The enhanced paternity leave scheme will be a welcome addition to our suite of family-friendly programmes, aimed at promoting work-life balance for our staff. We hope that through these, employees will have more flexibility to better balance their family needs and careers.”
Apart from increased paternity leave, the bank already offers various employee benefits aimed at allowing staff to spend more time with their families and to pursue their interests. For example, the bank’s flexible working arrangements enable employees to choose working hours that best meet their individual needs and provide them with the option of working from home. On Fridays, staff can end work at 5pm and they are also entitled to a half-day birthday leave during their birthday month.
Staff also have a flexible spending account which they can use to fund health and wellness related expenses for the entire family. These are on top of industry standards such as paid childcare and family leave, which are in addition to bank employees’ annual leave.
Over the years, DBS Bank and the DBS Staff Union (DBSSU) have worked closely together to enhance staff benefits and to build a better workplace. Nora Kang, President of DBSSU said, “The initiative was announced at the DBS Staff Union 5th Delegates Conference. The union is glad that DBS is able to introduce the enhanced paternity leave scheme in such a short time. By being an early adopter of this national scheme, DBS shows itself as leading the way in staff welfare. We hope this will encourage more companies to step up in support of national efforts to strengthen family-friendly work environments.”
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