MATERNITY LEAVE
| NETHERLANDS |
| ZWANGERSCHAPS-EN BEVALLINGSVERLOF MATERNITY LEAVE |
Period during which a female employee may not work. The 1919 Labour Act (replaced as from 1 January 1996 by the new Working Hours Act) prohibited the performance of work for at least eight weeks after childbirth, reduced by no more than two weeks against leave taken prior to the confinement.
Under the Sickness Benefits Act , employees are entitled to a total of 16 weeks' maternity leave on full pay, with pregnancy treated as illness for the purposes of the Act. Of these 16 weeks, 4-6 weeks are intended to be taken as pregnancy leave (zwangerschapsverlof ) prior to the confinement and the remainder as childbirth leave (bevallingsverlof ) after the confinement. Identical provisions are laid down for public servants in the General Public Service Regulations. If pregnancy or childbirth gives rise to incapacity for work , the employee is eligible for benefit equivalent to 100 per cent. of her former pay, for up to a maximum of one year after her confinement.
Compared with that in other West European countries, maternity leave in the Netherlands is relatively short. The provision for full pay is, on the other hand, unusual.
Please note: the European industrial relations glossaries were compiled between 1991 and 2003 and are not updated. For current material see the European industrial relations dictionary.