What is Namibia’s policy on maternity leave?

The Convention on maternity protection has since been revised twice with the latest revision done in 2000 and adopted in 2002.

The maternity protection convention was created in 1919 to protect the rights of women and offer safety for those who were looking for work after the first world war had ended. The demand in the labour market increased and so did their security, which ultimately made them feel more comfortable entering a career that they had previously been discouraged from.

What is the importance of The Maternity Protection Convention?

The Maternity Protection Convention was born to promote equality for all women in the workforce, provide health and safety during labour & birth, and allow parents to get back to work more quickly.

This is one of the main provisions of the maternity protection convention. It provides benefits for women who are on maternity leave so that they can make ends meet while they take time off to care for a newborn.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women outlines the societal perspective on how men and women should be treated in society. The cash benefits they provide must help maintain a woman’s health, as well as provide them with a suitable standard of living.

How does maternity leave protect women?

Namibia’s Labour law & maternity leave is identical from 1992 to 2004. According to the Labour Act, women are entitled to time off during the period of pregnancy as long as she has completed at least 12 months of continuous service.

According to both Acts, a woman is entitled to three months or 12 weeks they can take maternity leave which is four weeks before the expected date of confinement and eight weeks after confinement.

All maternity leave benefits shall be equal to 100% of the basic wage of the female employee concerned, up to an amount of N$9 000 per month.

Maternity leave is a government-mandated period for new mothers and their children. There are no obligations during this timeframe of employment, which includes no remuneration.

During this month, employers are required to provide a maternity leave income to help with the adjustment period. If you’re sick, pregnant, injured or old, you can ask for a Social Security Fund Income and claim it again once you find work. This is seen as a more general form of protection by employees.

The employees are only entitled to benefits if they are registered and have been contributing to the scheme.