A private member’s bill to propose an amendment to extend maternity leave from three to four months has been introduced in Parliament.
The bill, which is seeking to amend the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), is also proposing four weeks leave for men.
The constitution provides 12 weeks or 3 months of maternity leave for new mothers, but some advocates argue it is insufficient.
Human rights lawyer and MP for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, has presented a new bill to Parliament to among others seek an extension of the 3 months to 4 months.
Essence Of Extension
It is aimed at allowing new mothers adequate time to give birth, exclusively breastfeed, care for and bond with their new baby, as well as recover before returning to work.
The essence of paternity leave is to enable men to take care of their wives and assist the new mothers with domestic chores.
The Labour (Amendment) Bill, 2023, also known as parental leave for all, is also pushing for the introduction of paid paternity leave for men for a minimum of seven days and a maximum period of four weeks, with the option of an additional two weeks in case of caesarean, stillbirth(s) or multiple deliveries of spouse and to provide for related matters.
“The babies struggle, their mothers struggle, and they go through all kinds of psychological stress. So, it would have even been best to ask for 6 months, but we believe that it can be gradual, and we can start with 4 months, and then when the economy gets better, we can move to 6 months”, lawyer Sosu explained in an interview on October 17, 2023.
He is confident that the bill will be operational by early 2024.
“When the final draft is ready, it will be gazetted before we can have the first reading before parliament resumes. So, I am very hopeful that all of them will begin the major process of being read the first time and referred to the various committees for first reading by close of year, and then hopefully by next year, it can be passed”, he assured.
Background
The proposed bill references the adoption of the Maternity Protection Convention in 1919, marking the first international standard for gender equality in the workplace, protecting pregnant women.
Thus, maternity protection was one of the primary concerns of the International Labour Organization (ILO), according to a memo that accompanied the bill.
In Ghana, the current maternal mortality rate was 350 out of 100,000 live births as of August 2022, less than the World Health Organization (WHO’s) accepted standard of 70 out of 100,000 live births.
Citing the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge), the said majority of maternal deaths were as a result of bleeding during or after childbirth, and lack of inadequate rest for new mothers.
Mr. Sosu argued that the absence of specific provisions in the Ghana labour law to address or offer support for women grappling with the loss of pregnancy or babies was a big challenge, underscoring the pressing need to initiate conversations and consider potential reforms that extended compassionate support for women during their times of vulnerability.
By Grace Hammoah Agyemang