LRD guides and handbook July 2021

Law at work 2021 - the trade union guide to employment law

Chapter 9

Key elements of statutory maternity leave

[ch 9: page 326]

Statutory maternity leave lasts for a maximum of 52 weeks, as follows:

Compulsory maternity leave: the first two weeks (four weeks in the case of factory workers) from birth. A woman who gives birth must take this leave;

Ordinary maternity leave (OML): the first 26 weeks — includes the two compulsory weeks; and

Additional maternity leave (AML): a further period of 26 weeks which follows immediately after the OML.