Caja To Assume 100% Of
the Cost Of Maternity
Leave If Proposal
Approved
To promote the hiring of
more women in the work
force, the Caja
Costarricense de Seguro
Social (CCSS) - social
security - has said it
will cover 100% of the
cost of maternity leave
if legislators approved
a project presented by
the Movimiento
Libertario (ML) party.
The proposal would take
away the current
responsibility of
employers to cover 50%
of the cost of maternity
leave, while the CCSS
covers the other 50%.
Maternity leave is a
right of female workers
who become pregnant
while employed, to
receive their salary for
the month prior to and
for three months after
giving birth.
According to ML
legislator, Mario Quirós,
the sharing of the
social responsibility
between the employer and
the CCSS prejudices
women looking for work,
as an employer who hires
a woman is "punished" if
the employee becomes
pregnant.
The current situation,
according to Quirós,
makes it difficult for
women to get a job,
backing his statement
with the statistic that
the unemployment rate
for women in 2005 was
9.6% while that of men
was half of that at 5%.
The legislator is
proposing a reform to
Article 95 of the Código
de Trabajo (Labour Code)
that would remove the
burden of maternity
leave on employers,
allowing more women to
join the work force.
Quirós maintains firm in
his belief that there
will be no negative
impact on the CCSS if it
were to assume 100% of
the responsibility.
"The cost to the Caja
would be ¢4.15 billion
colones, or to say 0.2%
of the annual budget of
the Central Government",
said Quirós.
Quirós further backed
his proposal by stating
facts from 2005 where
43.5% of the families in
extreme poverty had the
woman as the head of the
household.
The ML legislator feels
that if more women can
join the work force,
that number of families
in extreme poverty could
be greatly reduced. |
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