December, 1, Chisinau - The women due to work on the period of the maternity leave will be able to benefit from salary and allowance, according to legislative amendments adopted by the parliament in the first reading today. 

According to the document’s authors, the law’s goal is to improve the rate of women’s participation and reduce the burden of the non-remunerated work or with the payment of envelope salaries to pregnant women, who continue to work even during the maternity leave.    

Presently, only the salary, not also the allowance is paid for the period of the maternity leave, which is overlapped with the period when the woman carries out labour activity. Thus, the draft is set to preserve woman’s right to benefit from the concerned allowance and its size is to be established based on of the income of the wife or husband, depending on who has a higher salary.  

To enforce this provision, the lawmakers are to approve amendments to the Labour Code, the law on the public office and the status of civil servant and the law on the allowance for temporary incapacity for work, as well as other payments of social benefits.  

The initiative was launched by the Platform of Women MPs.

Directorate for Communication and Public Relations of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova