The European Commission has recently unveiled proposals for extending maternity leave by revising the existing Directive. The aim, it says, is to help women combine work and family life and to improve women's participation in the labour market.
The main proposal involves increasing the minimum period of leave from 14 to 18 weeks with a recommendation that women receive 100 per cent of their salary. The alternative would be for member states to set a ceiling at the level of sick pay (although currently it is not clear whether this is a reference to statutory or contractual sick pay).
In addition, women will have more flexibility over when to take the non-compulsory portion of their leave (before or after childbirth) and would therefore no longer have to take a specific portion of the leave before childbirth, as is presently the case in some member states.
There will also be stronger protection against dismissal and a right to return to the same job or an equivalent one after maternity leave. Finally, a right to ask the employer for flexible working patterns after the end of maternity leave will be introduced although the employer will have the right to refuse this request.
For more information, go to:
http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=607&langId=en