House to vote on maternity leave for women who suffer miscarriages

Manama : A group of MPs is seeking to grant two months paid leave for women who suffer miscarriage or deliver dead babies, similar to leave granted to women who have normal deliveries.

This comes as the Council of Representatives votes on a proposal submitted by MP Ghazi Al Rahma and four other MPs last December.

The proposal aims to amend certain articles in Law 36 of the year 2012 that regulates employment in the private sector.

The proposal seeks parity between women who have normal deliveries and those who suffer miscarriages and deliver dead babies. 

It also prohibits them from working in the first 40 days that follow the miscarriage.

It was referred to the Services Committee of the council to be reviewed and amended if necessary. 

The committee, headed by MP Abbas Al Madhi, discussed it with several authorities such as Labour and Social Development Ministry, Health Ministry, the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), Bahrain Chamber for Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and a number of labour unions in the Kingdom. 

BCCI rejected the proposal, considering as “harmful to employers’ interests”, while the SCW supported it.

Al Rahma told DT News on January 1 this year that “the Labour Law in the Kingdom guarantees working women are paid 60-day maternity leave after delivery, while it doesn’t mention the loss of pregnancy after six months, even though women endure the same conditions and physical pain in both cases.”

The 40-member council will vote on the proposal in their regular weekly session on Tuesday in the presence of representatives of the government.