Rampant breach of norms on maternity benefits

Maternity Benefit

Rampant breach of norms on maternity benefits

The All India Council for Technical Education’s (AICTE) circular on maternity leave benefits for its women employees is honoured more in the breach, say, teachers. Though women account for approximately 50% of the 1,21,984 faculty members registered with the AICTE, even accredited institutions do not adhere to the minimum required labour norms.
For instance, the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017 calls for setting up of a crèche facility, according to the circular issued on September 10 by Anand Sharma, Deputy Director, Policy and Academic Planning Bureau. And the Act’s provisions must be implemented with effect from April 1, 2017. But teachers don’t foresee sweeping changes in the near future.
They complain that many colleges provide leave only on loss of pay even if the faculty have been on the rolls for several years.
A woman professor from an engineering college in central Tamil Nadu said she was given only two months’ paid leave after the birth of her first child. Later, she opted for loss of pay for four months. For the second child, however, she was given just two-and-a-half months’ leave. The college also told her to register for a master’s degree but she was terminated within a year of joining the course.
Source: The Hindu

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