Maternity Leave

All about Maternity Leave and Wages and Work, Maternity Leave and Labour Laws, Maternity Leave and Employees on Mywage Ghana.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Apart from annual leave, what other forms of leave should an employer grant to employees?

In addition to annual leave, an employer is entitled to grant maternity leave to pregnant female workers.

How does an employee become eligible for maternity leave?

A woman worker, on production of a medical certificate issued by a medical practitioner or a midwife indicating the expected date of her confinement, is entitled to a period of maternity leave.

How many days of maternity leave is an employee entitled to?

An employee is entitled to at least twelve weeks maternity leave in addition to any period of annual leave she is entitled to after her period of confinement. 

Is there any limit on number of times that an employee can take maternity leave?

No. The law does not set a limit on maternity leave.

Can the period of maternity leave be extended?

The period of maternity leave may be extended for at least two additional weeks where the confinement is abnormal or where in the course of the same confinement two or more babies are born.

If an employee takes maternity leave would she still be entitled to full pay?

A woman worker on maternity leave is entitled to be paid her full remuneration and other benefits to which she is otherwise entitled. 

Can a nursing mother interrupt her work to breast feed her baby? 

A nursing mother is entitled to interrupt her work for an hour during her working hours to nurse her baby. Interruptions of work by a nursing mother for the purpose of nursing her baby shall be treated as working hours and paid accordingly. 

Can an employer terminate an employee because she is pregnant and on maternity leave, or fire them soon after resuming work from maternity leave for the same reason?

No. An employer shall not dismiss a woman worker because of her absence from work due to maternity leave.

Can a pregnant woman be allowed to do overtime work?

An employer cannot engage a pregnant woman whose child is less than eight months for overtime work.

Can an employer post a pregnant woman outside her area of residence to work?

An employer shall not assign, whether permanently or temporarily, a pregnant woman worker to a post outside her place of residence after completion of the four month pregnancy, if the assignment, in the opinion of a medical practitioner or midwife, is detrimental to her health. 

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