Employers can claim part of govt-paid maternity leave earlier
SINGAPORE: The government has taken another step to help
companies and self-employed women with cashflow problems. From May,
they can claim the government's part of paid maternity leave earlier.
Presently, under the Paid Maternity Leave scheme, employers can
seek reimbursement only after all the maternity leave has been
consumed. This means if an employee maximises the 12-month flexibility
to consume the maternity leave, employers will have to wait till the
end to seek reimbursement.
"In the current circumstances, that's not fair to the companies,"
said Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian
Balakrishnan during a visit to the Nee Soon South on Sunday.
"I also want to encourage companies to support women who wish to
have children. Remember that in both good and tough times we must
continue to be a family-friendly society and employers also have to do
their part. On the government side, we will also do our part to help
the employers. It's a win-win situation," he added.
So from May, employers and self-employed women can make one interim
claim any time after the mother has taken eight weeks of maternity
leave. The final claim will be after the remaining leave has been
taken.
Another win-win situation for Singapore will be greater integration
among Singaporeans with new citizens and permanent residents.
That's going to be a key priority of the National Integration Council which Dr Balakrishnan will be chairing.
The council will tap ideas from schools, workplaces, the community and media on ways to enhance social integration.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "The key thing, in the end, is we need to
build trust. We need to build a sense of understanding. You may not be
born in Singapore but you have chosen out of your free will to commit
to Singapore and be a citizen.
"And once you have made that decision, it's like marriage, you are now
part of the family and because you have decided Singapore is your home
and your children's future is here, we are in the same boat building a
brighter future.
"If we don't spend time doing this, I worry that with the rates of
immigration which we currently have, people will start feeling anxious
that perhaps Singapore is changing and is changing too rapidly."
And he stressed Singaporeans will always continue to come first, while the nation continues to welcome newcomers.
- CNA/ir
they want to encourage ppl to have more babies. but nowadays it seems that more n more ppl do not want babies i think