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Pregnancy and employers in Singapore

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Moonlight_Cat
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Pregnancy and employers in Singapore

Post by Moonlight_Cat » Fri, 09 May 2008 10:06 pm

Hi!

I´m a veterinarian coming from germany. as my husband will be sent to singapore next year, I am looking for a job there too. the work situation for me there is very good but as we are planning to found a family within the next years, there are some questions left. how do singapore employers react on the pregnancy of there employees? in germany it is forbidden to dismiss pregnant employees. is it the same in singapore? I read that there were 12 weeks of maternity leave (4 before and 8 after giving birth). Only parents of singaporian citizens are paid the full wages in this period. What about the others? And what are "normal" singaporians do after this time? in germany there is a period of 12 month where you get some money out of a state fund. And I read there were only few possibilities to find someone who cares about the child while you are at work. Do the singaporians all stay at home till they have a place at kindergarten, do they have only one income while this time or do they have maids? (How much does such a maid cost by the way?? $$$$$:shock:$$$$$)
A last question (if anyone is here who could answer) - is there a law to protect the unborn live? In germany it is forbidden to work as veterinarian while pregnancy (cause of x-rays, toxic substances you work with and the risk of infection which could cause abortion or handicap in the unborn).

How are your experiences with these terms? The official websites didnt give sufficient answer to me :) and I´m sure it wasn´t really clevver to aks my employer these questions 8-)

thx a lot!!!
Cat

Moonlight_Cat
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Post by Moonlight_Cat » Mon, 12 May 2008 11:07 pm

did noone of you ever see a pregnant woman in singapore???? am surprised to see no answer here :wink:

Thaiclan
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Post by Thaiclan » Tue, 13 May 2008 9:49 am

Yes you are right it seems rather empty the responses to this one!
I can only imagine that many of the users on this forum are here with a working husband and therefore maternity issues do not apply?
I also do not know how it works for expat pregnant ladies in the workforce.
However I do know a live in maid will cost from $500 - $1000 (including tax) per month so I imagine this is the best option for a very young baby.
Good luck finding your info :)

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Tue, 13 May 2008 11:59 am

I have good new for some but not so good news for most that would be on this forum.

A little research finds that yes there is protection for pregnant employees here but only if you fall under purview of the "Employment Act" Cap 50.
The Employment Act covers every employee, including workman who is under a contract of service with an employer.
The Act excludes any person employed in a managerial, executive or confidential position. The job duties rather than
job title will determine whether an employee is covered by the Act.
Unfortunately that would leave you out. This is always a problem in Singapore where the Employer is the only thing that matters. You will find that most things here are "should be" and not "MUST". There are recommendations but not any laws with TEETH (Penalties) if you disobey them.

As per the Employment Act:

EMPLOYMENT ACT

SOME COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON MATERNITY LEAVE

Part IX of the Employment Act and Part III of the Children Development Co-Savings Act provide maternity protection and benefits for female employees.

1 What are the maternity leave benefits that an employee is entitled to?
All female employees covered under the Employment Act1 are entitled to 12 weeks’ of maternity leave as follows:
i) 4 weeks immediately before the delivery of her child; and
ii) 8 weeks immediately after the delivery of her child. By mutual consent, the last 4 weeks of the
maternity leave can be taken flexibly within 6 months from the date of delivery (see Q2 for details).

An employee must satisfy the following criteria to be eligible for 12 weeks’ of paid maternity leave:
i) her child is a Singapore citizen;
ii) she is lawfully married to the child’s father;
iii) she has fewer than 4 children (excluding adopted and stepchildren); and
iv) she has worked for the employer for at least 180 days before the child's birth.

An employee who has given birth to a child who is not a Singapore citizen will be entitled to 8 weeks’ of paid maternity leave if she has fewer than 2 children. If she had multiple births for the first delivery, she will be
still eligible for paid maternity leave for the 2nd delivery.[/quote]

Some more links within the MOM Site

I wasn't able to find anything about the health care worker and pregnancy but if you will check my signature link there are a number of links to various Government Health sites which, with enough research may turn up something (I've already killed an hour at work with this today!)

sms
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

Moonlight_Cat
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Post by Moonlight_Cat » Tue, 13 May 2008 3:48 pm

thx a lot. your answers were really helpful. interesting is - i found out that women of german expats are paid the full money for maternity leave (the full 12 month) even if they aren´t in germany and didnt pay taxes there the last months/years (to give you an imagination - these are 3800s$/month). was hard to find someone to answer this question. so our prob is solved :)

well in the end we would try to come home pregnant so i can do a full 2 year job there :) and give birth in germany

Levikane
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Insurance

Post by Levikane » Mon, 26 May 2008 3:27 pm

Be wary of the terms of any insurance you are offered while here.

I have heard that some Singaporean insurers will not pay benefits for any maternity-related expenses except complications. Apparently many SG insurers take the view that pregnancy is a voluntary act and therefore not a medical 'condition'.

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