Longer maternity leave not likely

A SUGGESTION to increase the duration of paid maternity leave from three to six months has been met with scepticism from business leaders and labour officials alike.

Currently, registered female members of the Social Security Commission (SSC) are entitled to three months of paid leave, up to a maximum of N$7 000 a month.The off-the-cuff suggestion was made by former President Sam Nujoma during a speech.A six-month leave period would put a huge strain on the SSC’s Maternity leave, Sick leave and Death benefits (MSD) Fund, the majority of which is already used to pay out maternity leave beneficiaries.Veteran businessman Harold Pupkewitz was quick to dismiss the suggestion as unnecessary.’The present arrangement, I think, is a fair one and is adequate,’ he said, adding that the extended leave period would disadvantage young female job applicants as employers would hesitate to hire women of child-bearing age.’We must realise that we are living in a competitive world, and this adds to the cost of employment,’ he warned.SSC Corporate Affairs Officer Rino Muranda said that implementation of the suggestion would require ‘revision of the [Labour] Act and actuarial revisions’. However, he hastened to add that no formal proposal to extend the maternity leave period existed, and that the suggestion was just an idea currently being discussed.Representatives from several of Namibia’s unions, who asked not to be named, were also of the opinion that any changes to the existing legislation was unnecessary. One mentioned that a private agreement between the ‘company and the workers themselves’ was the only viable option.ndapwa@namibian.com.na