Implement expecting mothers' 6-month maternity leave
Photo: STAR
I am writing to draw your kind attention to an important matter. The government of Bangladesh is claiming that they have extended the maternity leave to six months. But the practical situation is quite different. Very few private organisations are exercising this government rule. In some cases, the authorities suggest that the expecting mothers should rather leave the job, than they give them six months' maternity leave. And if the new mothers request the authorities to grant them a leave without pay, most of the times the management does not accept their request. Considering the indescribable sufferings that a mother has to go through during her pregnancy period and after giving birth to a child, the government decided to extend the maternity leave up to six months on January 2011. It would be unjustifiable if this leave facility is given only to the women who are working in the government organisations. Bangladesh Bank is giving six-month maternity leave to the women employees and it also circulated a notice to all banks and financial institutions to practice this rule. But it is a matter of regret that other than the state-owned banks, most of the banks don't show any respect to the order. I would like to request the media to take some measures to highlight the issue, and come forward to implement the six-month maternity leave for all the working women in Bangladesh.
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