Maternity Leave

[it_cons]

Hi

I am working as a contract IT professional for a bank through an Indian consultancy firm. I enquired with my consultant if they give paid maternity leave and he confessed that they cannot afford it. I have heard from many of my friends working with Indian recruitment firms tht they were not given any paid maternity leave as well. Nobody wants to raise this with MOM as they are desperate to hold on to their jobs and most of them are on PR or EP/DP. Is this legal? What is the process here?

[E-T]

Eligibility of Extended Maternity Leave for a foreigner or PR working in Singapore

Any female employee covered under the Employment Act has the right to take leave of absence from work for 12 weeks when she delivers a baby, regardless of her (or the baby's) nationality or the baby's birth order. The maternity leave is paid by the employer only for the first 8 weeks of each leave period taken for the first 2 confinements. The employee will only be eligible for the government-paid maternity leave under the Children Development Co-Savings Act if she satisfies the following conditions:

a) the child is a Singapore citizen at birth; and
b) legitimate; and
c) 1st to 4th child in birth order; and
d) the female employee has worked for the employer for at least 180 days before the birth of the child

Otherwise, the extended maternity leave will be unpaid.



Employee on fixed-term contract/temporary/part-time basis

An employee on fixed term contract, temporary and part-time employment is entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave, provided she satisfies the eligibility conditions under the Employment Act or the Children Development Co-Savings Act. If she is eligible for paid maternity leave, she will be paid at the gross rate for each day that she would normally have been required to work under her contract of service.

Source: Ministry of Manpower, Singapore



If you satisfy the above criterias, you do have a case to lodge with MOM. It's not about whether they can afford it or not, its MANDATORY in Singapore.

Just a word of caution, it is perfectly in your Rights to put up a case but most whistle-blower end up losing their job.