Mothers to get six months maternity leave

Pioneering bosses at agency MediaCom are stepping into the unknown by increasing the allocated time off from the 45 days that is statutory in the UAE.

Laudy Charabaty, expecting her second child, is pleased with the longer maternity leave her company offers, saying returning to work six weeks after the birth of her first was too soon. Sarah Dea / The NationalShow less

DUBAI // New mothers working for a company in Dubai are to benefit from a new six-month maternity leave agreement.
Pioneering employers at the agency MediaCom are believed to be the first big company in the region to increase the allocated time off from the 45 days that is statutory in the UAE.
The company employs 49 women out of a total of 120 employees across the Mena region, so the financial impact could be substantial as new mothers would be off work for up to four months longer than before.
Bosses hope the move will create a happier workplace and they insist that babies will be healthier - and more intelligent.
Laudy Charabaty, 36, from Lebanon, is expecting her second child, a girl, on February 28.
As a MediaCom employee in Mena, she will be the first to enjoy the new maternity rules that came into force on January 1.
"My son Dimitri was just a month and a half old when I went back to work, it was too short," she said.
"I was missing out on him growing up. Because I was bringing a nanny into the home to look after him, I was worried he would fall in love with her instead of me and think she was the mummy. He would see me for just an hour before bedtime.
"I have been jealous of the time she has spent with my son."
Ms Charabaty struggled emotionally when it was time to return to work and Dimitri was just six weeks old.
"The first day I had to go back to work I was crying," she said.
"It felt like we were separated but I had to get used to it quickly. I either had to stop my job, or accept it."
Maternity leave is a hot topic among expectant mothers but the move by MediaCom comes at a price to its workers.
The company is offering new mothers leave on full pay for the first 10 weeks, half pay for the next six and the final eight weeks of maternity leave is unpaid. It has also introduced seven days paid paternity leave.
The leave agreement is a substantial improvement on the situation elsewhere in the UAE.
In Ajman, the government allows 45 days, as does the private sector, and this is the same in Ras Al Khaimah.
In Sharjah there have been major changes, including the introduction of the same number of days for expatriates and Emiratis, now at 60. New fathers there are also entitled to the statutory three days off, as is the case elsewhere in the UAE.
Dr Talal Farha, a paediatric consultant at the Farha Children Clinics in Dubai, said maintaining the bond between mother and baby for four to six months after birth was vital.
"We have seen how important breastfeeding is," he said. "It needs to be done continuously during the first few months to help maintain health and development. Studies have proved babies who breastfeed also have an average 10-point increase in their IQ.
"Detaching a baby from its mother after just six weeks or two months is stressful for both of them, it destroys the family harmony.
"That can have a long-term impact on the child's development and can create attachment problems as well as having an impact on the child's language development "
Federal law states that only half pay will be offered to mothers taking 45 days off as maternity leave if they have been working for less than a year.
But new mothers can take up to 100 days of unpaid leave if there is an illness or injury preventing them from returning. Any extra time off must be supported with a medical certificate.
MediaCom's chief executive, Nick Barron, hopes the move will make mothers more confident about leaving their babies when returning to work. He also hopes the changes will make the firm a more attractive place to work for new recruits.
"Of course there are commercial considerations, as extended leave will potentially leave gaps in the business. Fortunately there is a growing freelance or contract workforce here in Mena," he said.
"We also hope to be able to offer more part-time and flexible working options to re-engage with mothers whose children are a bit older and want to return to the workplace."
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