Maternity leave benefits for unmarried gov’t workers pushed

Unmarried workers in government would be granted maternity leave benefits under a bill filed in the House of Representatives.

Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said he filed the bill to place women workers in the private sector and the government on equal footing.

“Bill 5727 aims to strengthen the government’s effort in dismantling all forms of inequity against women by correcting a law that has long deprived unmarried women in government service in availing maternity benefits,” he said.

Andaya said Republic Act 8282, the Social Security System Act grants maternity benefits to all woman employees in the private sector regardless of civil status, but that Commonwealth Act No. 647 limits the benefits only to married employees in government.

“Moreover, under the SSS Act, three monthly contributions are sufficient to qualify a pregnant employee for maternity benefits,” he said.

“In the public sector, however, aside from the prerequisite of marriage, a pregnant employee must have been in the service for at least two years before she can benefit from maternity compensation.

“This is a clear manifestation that there is a double-standard in the application of the law. Regardless of a woman’s civil status, she should be accorded with equal protection and just compensation, particularly when availing herself maternity benefits.”

Andaya is pushing for the early approval of the bill.

“This measure should be approved soonest,” he said.

“Only when we have eradicated all vestiges of discrimination against women can we sincerely claim that we have fought to uplift the rights of women.”

Under the bill, any woman employee, permanently or temporarily appointed in government service, would be entitled, in case of normal childbirth, abortion or miscarriage, to a daily maternity benefit equivalent to 100 percent of her basic salary, allowances and other benefits or the cash equivalent of such benefits for 60 days.

In case of a caesarian delivery, the employee would be paid daily maternity benefits for 78 days.

To avail of the benefits, the bill seeks to require the employee to notify her employer of her pregnancy and the probable date of her childbirth.

In turn, the employer would transmit to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) the notice of pregnancy.