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Anonymous
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Hi,

Can you please let me know:
(a) What is the eligibility working period criteria for Maternity benefits?
(b) Are wages covered under Basic, Gross, or CTC?
(c) Is it mandatory for the Company to pay for 26 weeks of Maternity leave for eligible candidates?
(d) Can we impose a condition of rejoining duty for payment, or half payment before delivery and half payment after rejoining duty?

Please suggest.

From India, Noida
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nathrao
3180

a) Every woman employee, whether employed directly or through a contractor, who has actually worked in the establishment for a period of at least 80 days during the 12 months immediately preceding the date of her expected delivery, is entitled to receive maternity benefit. Section 5(2) of the Act.

b) Maternity benefit is awarded at the rate of the average daily wage for the period of a worker's actual absence from work. Apart from 12 weeks of salary, a female worker is entitled to a medical bonus of 3,500 Indian rupees. (Section 5)

Read sec 3(n) Extract as below: "wages" means all remuneration paid or payable in cash to a woman, if the terms of the contract of employment, express or implied, were fulfilled and includes-- (1) such cash allowances (including dearness allowance and house rent allowance) as a woman is for the time being entitled to; (2) incentive bonus; and (3) the money value of the concessional supply of food grains and other articles.

c) No.

From India, Pune
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Thankyou Mr. Nathrao. Please also clear that payment should be of 12 weeks or 26 weeks as per amendments of maternity Act 2017 and it has to be paid in advance or after delivery.
From India, Noida
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nathrao
3180

Section 5. Right to payment of maternity benefit.- 1*
From India, Pune
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What is the eligibility for Creche facility . How can i check that my Company is liable for creche facility. Thanks in Anticipation!
From India, Noida
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nathrao
3180

Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017 (MB Amendment Act) has come in force with effect from 1 April 2017. Effective July 1, 2017, the MB Amendment Act makes it mandatory for every establishment having fifty (50) or more employees to provide crèche facility. Women employees are to be allowed four visits a day to the crèche, a welcome change guaranteeing working women an additional protected environment at their workplace.
More clarity will come up when rules are framed under the Act.

From India, Pune
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The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 regulates the employment of women before and after the birth of their child. This Act is expected to help women accommodate both their personal and professional lives. It not only helps women to manage their family responsibilities effectively but it turns out to favor organizations as well who were struggling to increase workplace diversity and creating an inclusive and supportive work environment.
50 employees or 50 women employees?
The amendments in this Act directs establishments that employ 50 or more employees to provide for crèche facility, either in the office or in any place within a radius that is comfortable for employees to pick, drop and nurse the child. The mother will be allowed to visit the crèche four times in a day. This will include her interval for rest. The government recently released a notification clarifying that companies need to provide for the crèche facility w.e.f 1st July 2017
What is the age limit for children?
The Act does not mention up to what age the child will get creche facility. The Factories Act where the crèche facility should be provided up to 6 years of age. Although the daycare industry norm is to consider children up to 8-10 years.

From India, Mumbai
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Anonymous
Dear Sir/Madam,

I am working in a Non-Profit Organization in Mumbai. I am 5 months pregnant. Hence, I requested my organization to provide maternity benefits according to the Maternity Benefit Act 2017, as previously only 3 months of maternity leave was given to employees completing 1 year in the organization.

Now my immediate team leader has informed me that they might not renew my contract from April 2018. As they are well aware, they cannot terminate my contract solely because I am pregnant. So, I would like to know if they have the authority to cancel my contract when other team members are continuing with theirs.

From India, Mumbai
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Can the employer terminate the female employee incase of maternity leave when she availed
From India, Chennai
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nathrao
3180

Termination during maternity leave or because employee asks for maternity leave is illegal.
From India, Pune
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If the women Employee is not covered under ESIC , then what is the procedure under maternity Act for payment of her salary and leaves?
From India, Pune
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Please explain maternity rules in adoption and surrogacy case.
From India, Delhi
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Appreciated. Fully knowledgeable. Great Job!
From India, Delhi
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the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 (“Maternity Amendment Act”) on March 27, 2017, the law also (a) extends maternity benefits to commissioning and adopting mothers, (b) mandates employers to provide creche facilities at the establishment, (c) allows women to work from home in certain cases and (c) requires employers to inform female employees at the time of their joining about maternity benefits available to them
From India, Mumbai
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The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 also has provisions for female employees:

a) A third Child: Those having two or more surviving children will be entitled to 12 weeks of paid Maternity Leave, of which not more than six (6) weeks shall precede the date of her expected delivery.

b) For female employees who are adopting a child who is less than three months old, and for commissioning mothers, the paid leave entitlement is for twelve (12) weeks.

c) A female employee who has undergone a miscarriage or medical termination of pregnancy is entitled to paid leave for a period of six (6) weeks immediately preceding the date of such an event.

d) A female employee is entitled to paid leave for two (2) weeks if she is undergoing a tubectomy operation, immediately preceding the date of such an event.


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I have a query. A female staff member applied for Maternity Leave and was granted leave as per the Maternity Benefit Act 2017. Now she is demanding an additional 3 months of leave, stating that the child is attached to the mother and cannot stay with the family. We have creche facilities available, but she is not willing to accept this option.

Please advise on what should be done.

From India, Ahmedabad
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It is legally wrong to cancel a contract of employment or terminate a woman during her pregnancy. But if she is on FTC, i.e., appointed on a fixed-term contract, the employer can refuse to renew it. The employee cannot demand that the contract should be renewed.

Any leave in excess of what is the right under the Maternity Benefit Act, i.e., 26 weeks, can be refused. The employee can use the facility available in the office. If she is not okay with the facility, let her resign and go. You cannot have the cake and hold the cake at a time. Either you can have a job or you can have a family life. The employer has already done what he has to do for a woman, and if you bend beyond that, then in the future, it will become a right and all others will demand as a matter of right, and the leave will go like anything. Everyone will be happy to be with her child if permitted, and if that is to happen, why should we employ?

From India, Kannur
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Dear all,

I have a query regarding maternity benefits. Can an eligible female employee take maternity leave in breaks? For example, if she is experiencing complications and needs to take a month off during the 2nd or 3rd month of her pregnancy, can she claim that time off as maternity leave?

From India, Pune
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No, maternity leave should be in one single stretch, and the maximum leave that can be taken prior to delivery is restricted to 8 weeks. Leave for any sickness arising out of pregnancy in the 2nd or 3rd month should be availed from your PL or sick leave, as the case may be.

Thank you!

From India, Kannur
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I request seniors to clarify that, to be eligible 80 days working is required does this implies to physical attendance or paid days.
From India, Pune
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nathrao
3180

The section says 80 days of actual work during last 12 months.Read sec5(2) of the Act.
From India, Pune
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80 days of work means 80 days, including holidays, weekly offs, and other paid leaves. Please be informed that whenever the reference of working days for eligibility for annual leave, gratuity, layoff compensation, retrenchment compensation, etc., is mentioned, the days of service should include all paid leaves, paid holidays, and paid weekly off days.
From India, Kannur
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Thanks a lot to both seniors...

The reason I got confused is:

No woman shall be entitled to maternity benefit unless she has actually worked in an establishment of the employer from whom she claims maternity benefit, for a period of not less than 80 days in the twelve months immediately preceding the date of her expected delivery:

Provided that the qualifying period of 80 days aforesaid shall not apply to a woman who has immigrated into the State of Assam and was pregnant at the time of the immigration.

Explanation: For the purpose of calculating under this subsection the days on which a woman has actually worked in the establishment, the days for which she has been laid off or was on holidays declared under any law for the time being in force to be holidays with wages during the period of twelve months immediately preceding the date of her expected delivery shall be taken into account.

Now, the inclusion of paid holidays is mentioned here, but nothing is mentioned about paid leave.

Thanks for clearing the doubts.

From India, Pune
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That is not necessary. An employee on the regular payroll of the company is expected to be on duty if they are being paid a salary. If the employee is not at work, we will not provide payment. This is why paid leaves are also considered as days worked.
From India, Kannur
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I have a query in regard to MEDICAL BONUS. In a case where the employee is availing the Group Insurance benefits for her Maternity, is company still liable to pay medical bonus (INR> 3,500/-)?
From India, Gurgaon
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If your medical claim covers postnatal care for the mother and newborn child, then you need not pay the medical bonus. Most medical claims are designed to cover only treatment costs and incidental expenses, excluding the cost of nursing after the patient has been discharged from the hospital. It may not cover the fees of a doctor visiting your employee's home to provide necessary advice on healthcare matters, precautions to be taken, etc.
From India, Kannur
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Thank you for your response, Mr. Madhu.

Also, is the above valid in cases where most of the premium is borne by the employees only with little contribution by the employer in the overall policy, even though the Group Medical policy is in the Company's name? Whose expense will it be considered? The employer or the employee.

From India, Gurgaon
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Who pays your premium is irrelevant. What is relevant is which all risks are covered.
From India, Kannur
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I believe it is relevant because it is mentioned in Section 8 of the Act that it is the employer who should bear the cost of pre/post natal treatment OR pay medical Bonus.
From India, Gurgaon
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What was your query? Whether the employer should pay a medical bonus if the employee is covered by mediclaim. My response was: If your mediclaim covers prenatal and postnatal care, the bonus need not be paid. I have also directed you to review the relevant terms, as most policies cover only treatment costs and not prenatal or postnatal care. It is therefore implied that the employer should pay it. You then inquired about the scenario where the policy premium is borne by the employer. I explained that who pays the premium is not the concern of the insurers; what matters to them is whether the insured is covered by paying the premium or not.

You have once again brought up a section in the Maternity Benefit Act which states that it is the employer's responsibility to pay the medical bonus. I reiterate that if your policy is structured in a way that the insurers will handle prenatal and postnatal care for your employee and newborn child, then the employer does not need to pay Rs 3500, as this obligation is assumed by the insurers. Moreover, if the employee is under ESI, will the employer pay a medical bonus? No, because this responsibility has been shifted from the employer to the ESIC.

From India, Kannur
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I have joined a private organization on September 8th, 2017. I completed 6 months of probation on March 8, 2018, but I didn't receive a confirmation letter. My due date is June 1, 2018. I am planning to take maternity leave from the third week of May. I have informed HR about this, but they are denying my request for maternity leave since I joined the organization only six months ago. Am I eligible to avail maternity leave? If they ask me to resign from this job, what should I do? Kindly guide me here.
From India, Chennai
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I want to know what the consequences will be under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 (amended) if the employee does not resume her position within the organization once the maternity benefit period is over.
From India, Lucknow
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I would like to know. how many months woman employees will get paid in maternity?
From India
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Humairaz, in order to get maternity leave and the bonus as applicable, you need not be confirmed in service. The only qualifying condition is that you should have worked for 80 days during the 12 months immediately preceding the expected date of delivery. Now, the interpretation of section 5(2) of the Act is very important. This section states that a woman employee who has worked for 80 days in the 12 months immediately preceding the date of delivery or expected date of delivery is entitled to maternity leave of 26 weeks. It is not just 80 days of working immediately preceding the expected date of delivery. This means that in order to be eligible for maternity benefits, one should have 12 months of service, and during this period, she should have worked for at least 80 days.

The above interpretation can be challenged, but I don't find a better interpretation for section 5(2). In the case of employees covered by ESI, the same condition applies. In that scenario, it is ESI contribution for 78 days in two contribution periods. Each contribution period consists of 6 months, and therefore, 12 months of service is implied in such cases. Consequently, you will not be eligible for maternity benefits.

Poorva Puri mentioned that there are no consequences in either the Principal Act or the Amended Act. If she does not return, hire another person in her place; you cannot take any action to recover the amount paid.

Dineshkumar advised to read the entire post and then raise a question. This is analogous to asking who Sita's husband is after reading the entire Ramayana.

From India, Kannur
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The Maternity Benefits Act, 2016 is applicable to women workers who are employed in establishments with 10 or more employees. Different countries have practiced various funding models with reference to maternity benefits. In some countries the employer bears the cost, while in certain others it is paid by the government. In India, the employer bears the cost for Maternity Benefits provided to women workers. Since, a majority of the women workforce in India are employed in the unorganized sectors and small businesses with less than 10 employees, a major chunk of women workers are left uncovered.
Under the new Act, as amended, the maximum period of maternity benefit has been increased from the current 12 weeks to 26 weeks, in case of women who have less than two surviving children. For women having two or more surviving children, the existing period of 12 weeks maternity benefit would continue. Further, maternity benefit of 12 weeks would be made available to a ‘commissioning mother’ – the biological mother who utilizes her egg to generate an embryo implanted in any other woman. Also, for ‘adopting mother’, maternity benefit of 12 weeks is provided if she adopts a child below the age of 3 months from the date the child is handed over.
I got this from the following. Hope its helpful
https://www.indiafilings.com/learn/m...fits-act-2016/

From India, Chennai
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I would like to request the new member to clarify section 2(1) of the Maternity Benefit Act, which details the applicability of the Act. As per my knowledge, the Act applies to every factory, mine, or plantation, even if the number of persons employed is less than 10. It is also applicable to establishments engaged in horse riding or acrobatic performances, regardless of the number of persons employed.

At the same time, for other establishments like trading organizations covered under the states' Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, the Maternity Benefit Act will only become applicable if they have 10 employees. Is there any change in this? Please guide us.

From India, Kannur
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Dear Members, Thank you for the valuable information provided. With warm regards, P Karunakaran
From India, Chennai
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Dear Madhu Sir, Please Peruse "Plea in Karnataka HC for ML for All" for your information
From India, New Delhi
Attached Files (Download Requires Membership)
File Type: bmp Plea in Karnataka HC for ML for All.bmp (3.82 MB, 11 views)

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Yes, I know. What is sought is that the Act should be made applicable to shops and commercial establishments employing a lesser number of employees. The Act is even otherwise applicable to factories and mines without reference to the number of employees.

My suggestion is that the Act should be made applicable to establishments employing a certain number of women employees. Now it is like a shop or office with 10 persons of which just one is a female employee will be under the coverage of the Act. Automatically, the provisions relating to a creche, etc., will also be applied to such organizations when their manpower becomes 50.

For a shop that employs, say, one or two persons, it is not at all practical to pay 6 months' salary to an employee who takes leave on the grounds of pregnancy and delivery. And I don't think that the law-enforcing authorities would check the ability of the shop owner or the employer to afford it.

Once it becomes applicable to all establishments without reference to the number of employees, I am sure the small employers will face a big loss. At the same time, the law-enforcing officers can make it gainful because they can visit each and every establishment and see whether they follow it.

From India, Kannur
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Hi, I work for an MNC in Gurgaon. I have recently returned from my paid maternity leave. My question is this: If I were to resign now (I now feel I am unable to handle work and home), am I required by law to pay back my 6-month maternity leave pay? Can my firm impose this clause on me now?

I have not signed any bond/document. However, there is a generic policy document on the firm's website that states I will have to return my maternity pay if I resign within a year of joining. I wish to know if this can be upheld by law if challenged?

From India, Gurgaon
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Legally, an employee cannot be asked to return the salary paid for the maternity leave days if she resigns after availing the benefits. Whatever is published on the official website of the company or written in the HR Manual of the company cannot be accepted because it is against the law.

When I say legally you cannot be asked to return the money, I would extend it by saying that morally we should not resign after availing the maternity benefits. This will send a message that if all women do this, it will even lead to a reduction in the employability of women.

From India, Kannur
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