The Cuban Council of State approved this Wednesday the decree-law “On the Maternity of Working Women and the Responsibility of Families” and four other decree-laws on programs of “national interest,” the state media reported.
According to the source, this regulation increases the benefits of working mothers in the state and private sectors, such as: the right to enjoy social benefits, monetary benefits for pregnant women and mothers with sick children when having medical certificates, in addition to supplementary maternity leave.
The secretary general of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), Teresa Amarelle Boué, stressed that the norm referring to working women is “a sample of the political will of the Cuban State to achieve the advancement of women,” according to a report from the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency.
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The parliamentarians explained that the decree-law ensures medical care, pre and postnatal rest, emphasizes breastfeeding and the care of the minor by both parents. It also regulates the monetary benefits from 34 weeks of pregnancy and 32 in case of multiple pregnancy, which will be extended until the child reaches one year of age.
Minister of Labor and Social Security Marta Elena Feitó explained that the regulations also stipulate protection for the father or other working family member who is in charge of caring for the minor, in the event of the death of the mother.
Feito added that the decree-law grants grandparents the right to enjoy social benefits when caring for a child of a student mother, to help guarantee the continuity of her education and autonomy, while providing a differentiated treatment in case the child requires special attention.
The members of the Council of State also approved the decree-laws “On the Banco Popular de Ahorro,” “On the Foreign Bank of Cuba,” “On the System of Aids to Navigation of the Hydrographic and Geodetic Service of the Republic of Cuba” and “On the Labor Condition and the Special Regime of Social Security of Creators in the Sphere of Social Communication.”
The latter recognizes the working activity of creators in the sphere of social communication and establishes the special social security regime for professionals affiliated with the Cuban Association of Social Communicators, who generate communication products for political, advertising, public good and institutional purposes.