News:Government yet to respond to maternity leave case

<vote /> Government has failed to respond to the maternity leave constitutional challenge filed seven months ago, despite being served with the papers and the Constitutional Court will now hear the matter in the absence of opposing papers.

Ms Emelda Mhuriro who is the general secretary of the Civil Service Employees’ Association, approached the Constitutional Court in January this year, challenging the constitutionality of Sections 18(1) and (3) of the Labour Act citing that the laws were unconstitutional as they violate Section 65 (7) of the Constitution, which grants unrestricted fully-paid maternity leave as a right to all working women.

The pieces of legislation only allow female employees of at least one year service to go on fully-paid maternity leave thrice with one employer. They also give a limit of the maternity leave periods for women and also deny newly employed women the right to maternity leave.