| RECOGNISING
THAT BPW works to promote equality of all women in the workforce
and the health and safety of the mother and child and
KNOWING THAT the protection of maternity
in national law and practice is not equally developed in all
countries and
BEING AWARE THAT maternity is a major
factor compromising the equality of economic and social rights
and well being of women who need, or wish, to work
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the International
Federation of Business and Professional Women meeting at it’s
26th Congress in Mexico City , Mexico in October 2008
URGES all National Federations
and Associate Clubs to use their influence to bring about
full compliance with the minimum requirements of the ILO Maternity
Protection Convention 2000 in their countries.
-
The Convention applies to all employed
women, including those in atypical forms of dependent
work, with provisions for exclusion of limited categories
of workers when its application to them would raise special
problems of a substantial nature.
-
While many countries partly meet the
requirements of the Convention, and some exceed some of
the recommended provisions, there are areas where discrimination
still exists. For example,
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i) |
The level of payment
received under Paid Parental Leave (PPL) schemes not
meeting the recommended 2/3 of the average wage and
|
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ii) |
Women who work on short term contracts
such as seasonal and casual workers not being eligible
for paid parental leave. |
The UN CEDAW Committee recently expressed
concern that seasonal and temporary workers remain ineligible
for paid parental leave. This discriminates against those
women for whom short term contract work is the only available
option.
- There are still some countries where pregnancy puts
a woman at risk of dismissal, or where maternity leave
is not paid, or does not meet the recommended 14 weeks.
- Article 11 of CEDAW addresses discrimination against
women in the field of employment and requires States to
prohibit discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy, maternity
leave or marital status.
IMPLEMENTATION:
National Federations and BPW Affiliates to –
-
Ascertain the stance of their National
Government in relation to compliance with the minimum
requirements of the ILO Maternity Protection Convention
2000
-
Act affirmatively and lobby their
National Governments in accord with this Resolution.
-
Ensure that members are aware of their
rights relating to Maternity and their employment.
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