The USU, Unions NSW and the ACTU believe that Paid Maternity Leave is a fundamental human right that should be provided to all mothers. It will benefit mothers, family, the economy and business.
Australia lags well behind the rest of the world in supporting new mothers. Over 157 nations around the world have some kind of Paid Maternity Leave provision. The consequences of Australia not having Paid Maternity Leave means that Australia has one of the lowest levels of workforce participation for women between the ages of 25 and 44 and is ranked 23 out of 24 OECD nations.
Australia and the United States are the only two OECD countries that do not offer universal access to Paid Maternity Leave.
The USU won 9 weeks Paid Maternity Leave (18 weeks at half pay) to be included in the Local Government (State) Award in 2001. However, 9 weeks remains inadequate in comparison to international standards, further, there is limited or no access in much of the private sector.
"Paid Maternity Leave is a crucial entitlement," said USU General Secretary Ben Kruse. "The USU has been campaigning for the improvement of Paid Maternity Leave for many years. Now is the time to ramp up the campaign to establish a decent community standard."
The ACTU is calling for Paid Maternity Leave to become a new government funded standard after the Productivity Commission hands down its findings in February 2009.
The ACTU is campaigning for a government sponsored scheme of 14 weeks Paid Maternity Leave. The USU supports the ACTU campaign, however the USU Womens Committee and State Executive are supporting a 6 months Paid Maternity Leave model which is also advocated by Unions NSW.
"Paid Maternity Leave will always remain an important industrial entitlement around which the USU campaigns with Local Government, Energy, Airlines and Private Sector employers. We must not lose sight of our industrial campaign as the Government begins the process of developing and implementing a Government funded scheme," said Ben Kruse.
The emerging focus on Paid Maternity Leave will be a significant item of debate at the 2008 USU Womens Forum," said Ben Kruse. "We look forward to progressing the debate."
To find out more about the campaign for Paid Maternity Leave visit the website at www.usu.org.au
