The MP for Kulai, Teo Nie Ching, said the government’s warning to the private sector that action would be taken if it did not comply was empty talk as the relevant laws – Section 37 of the Employment Act 1995, Section 83 of the Sabah Labour Ordinance and Section 84 of the Sarawak Labour Ordinance – had yet to be amended.
Yesterday Minister of Human Resources Richard Riot said his ministry had no intention of tabling a bill to amend the Employment Act in this Parliament sitting.
Asking how much longer the government needed to amend a simple provision, she said: “It takes a woman 10 months from conception to give birth. How long does the BN government need to fulfill a simple promise? I certainly hope that it does not take more than 10 months.”
Teo said last December, Deputy Human Resources Minister Ismail Abd Muttalib was reported as saying that private sector employers could be investigated and prosecuted if they dismissed female staff who took 90 days maternity leave.
She said this only showed the “ignorance” of the deputy minister as the relevant laws had yet to be amended. There was no provision in the law currently to allow the government to prosecute any employer for refusing to give 90 days of maternity leave, she said, adding this was admitted yesterday by Riot in the Dewan Rakyat when questioned by her.
Teo, who is also Pakatan Harapan Wanita secretary, said in a statement that Prime Minister Najib Razak had declared in his budget speech that 2018 was the Year of Women Empowerment.
“However until today, we are still not quite sure what this will entail,” she said, asking when the government would “finally disclose” its full plan to empower women in 2018.