The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has objected to husbands being entitled to paternity leave for a maximum of 40 days.
It also objects to women having maternity leave for six months as covered in the draft law on maternal and child welfare, or the MCH Bill.
Apindo believes that because the business world is currently recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, this regulation will make it difficult for companies to grow.
“Frankly speaking, 40 days is hard for the business world. Now, who can afford it in this country, in the Republic of Indonesia? We imagine that the business world is just crawling back from the pandemic,” said Apindo DPN’s Head of Regulatory and Institutional Relations Committee, Myra Hanartani to CNNIndonesia.com, on Monday 20th June 2022.
The MCH Bill provides the following right stated in article 6 paragraph 2 letter a, which has been received by CNNIndonesia.com, Monday (20/6), stating “Husbands, as referred to in paragraph (1), are entitled to the right to accompanying leave: a. give birth a maximum of 40 days”.
Moreover, the woman’s right to maternity leave of at least six months is said to be burdensome for entrepreneurs. It is also feared that this regulation will affect the level of women’s participation in the business world.
“If there are additional rules like that, then businessmen will go ‘ah, it’s better if we hire men‘, for example, it’s a shame that women who want to enter the job market can’t,” said Hanartani.
Six months of maternity leave is believed to make it difficult for companies to not only pay salaries while not working, but also have to incur additional costs to hire other people to fill the positions of those who are temporarily on leave.
Therefore, Apindo is asking the House of Representatives to be careful in drafting the MCH Bill so as not to burden the business world, especially the small and medium-sized businesses. Aside from that, Apindo has asked not only to imitate other countries that provide long maternity leave but also to adapt it to domestic conditions.
“You have to look at the context of the country you are looking at as well. If the countries whose fathers have been given a lot of leave, maybe the countries have developed. Now we will see if we are strong enough to do that,” said Hanartani.