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Pregnant Thought: Armenian Lawmakers Intend To Change Maternity Poli

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  • Pregnant Thought: Armenian Lawmakers Intend To Change Maternity Poli

    PREGNANT THOUGHT: ARMENIAN LAWMAKERS INTEND TO CHANGE MATERNITY POLICY
    By Sara Khojoyan

    ArmeniaNow
    03.11.10 | 16:34

    Social

    An open letter, expressing more than ten NGO's discontent over the
    draft law on 'Temporary Unemployment Benefit' has been submitted
    to the RA president last week by organizations dissatisfied with the
    proposed law's shortening of maternity leave.

    Currently new mothers are allowed 140 calendar days for which the state
    gives them allowances. The new law envisions only 100 days, cutting
    out the non-working days that are presumed in the 140 days now covered.

    The amount of compensation she would receive would also change. A
    ceiling on compensation would be set at 150,000 drams (about $420)
    a month, even if the mother's salary exceeded that amount.

    Armen Hayrumyan, Head of Armenian Center for Youth and Student
    International Relations and Exchange (ACE) NGO, the initiator of the
    open letter to the President of Armenia, told ArmeniaNow the new law
    violates not only all pregnant women's rights, but also the rights
    of those get a high salary.

    "Women who get high salaries, pay a considerable amount of money
    to the social welfare fund for this very purpose. And during their
    whole life they may have only one, or two-three children, and their
    money won't be returned in this case," Hayrumyan says.

    One of the arguments of the initiators of the draft law and specialists
    is that by the new law they will try to fight against the illegality
    committed by employers who hire women during the last months of their
    pregnancy, for them to get maternity allowances at the expense of
    the state.

    Jemma Hasratyan, head of the Armenian Association of Women with
    University Education NGO, says this way the state wants to improve
    its social policy by increasing women's burdens.

    "Go, check, punish the [committers of the] illegality! Women should
    not suffer because some 10 employers have taken advantages," she says.




    From: A. Papazian
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