Navigating Maternity Leave Under the Shops and Establishments Act: Pay, Eligibility, and Benefits?

Hi, could anyone suggest information on maternity leave as our company is under the Shops and Establishments Act? What is the pay we have to give to an employee under this act, eligibility, regulations, and any benefits which are not covered?

Hi, For female employees proceeding on maternity leave, you need to provide 182 days of paid leave, which means their full salary needs to be paid. If the employee is covered under ESI, she can claim maternity benefits through ESI.

In addition to what Mr. Lakshmi Narayan has said, I would like to add that a woman employee will be eligible to get maternity leave of 26 weeks if she has worked for 80 days in the preceding 12 months. Of these 26 weeks, 8 weeks of leave shall be taken before childbirth. For those who have two or more than two surviving children, maternity leave of 12 weeks only shall be available. If the company is not providing any prenatal and postnatal care, then the employer should pay a sum of Rs. 3500 as a medical bonus. A woman employee who adopts a child or becomes a mother after a surrogacy process shall also take 12 weeks of leave from the date on which the baby is handed over to her.