A debated EU maternity leave plan

European women should get a minimum of 18 weeks of maternity leave paid at the full level of their previous salary, the EU executive has suggested. The new legislation “will help women to combine work and family life, improving their and their family’s quality of life,” EU social affairs commissioner Vladimir Spidla said while presenting the package in Brussels on the third of October. Under the proposal, there would be an extension of maternity leave from fourteen to eighteen weeks across the member states, with the current period varying from 14 weeks in Germany to 28 weeks in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with the possibility of extending it to 52 weeks in some countries. Moreover, Brussels advocates introduced a new principle of full pay during the maternity leave, while allowing an exception for countries to set a ceiling that could not be lower than the rates for sick pay. The move has sparked controversy in countries with less generous arrangements. The centre-right social policy ministry of the Czech Republic has suggested the idea of a full pay for women on maternity leave would be unbearable for the national budget. “I’m strongly convinced that it is an unrealistic attempt and it does not respect differing conditions in various member states,” said Petr Necas, the Czech labour minister. Some critics suggest the proposed measure could turn against women as they would potentially represent higher costs for their employers. But Mr. Spidla dismissed such arguments, saying “It would be only a small fraction of what is currently being offered in aid to banks,” in a reference to the latest consequences of the global financial crisis. Some other critics argued Brussels should keep its fingers out of the social policy of member states. “Flexible working and work-life balance must be encouraged but it is not for Brussels to tell British mothers and fathers how much leave they should take,” British Conservative MEP Philip Bushill-Matthews commented. “Small businesses will struggle to afford this extra cost. Ultimately some of the smallest businesses may think twice about employing young women through fear of them going on maternity leave,” he added in a statement.