The rights of pregnant entrepreneurs should be equal to the rights of employed pregnant women

On Monday, the Mothers of the Law Association requested that the Government of Serbia withdraw from the parliamentary procedure amendments to the Law on Health Insurance, because the Ministry of Health did not accept their proposal related to entrepreneurs who have to maintain a pregnancy.

The Association's proposal is to reconsider the proposal to pay the full compensation of earnings in the amount of 100 percent, and not 50 percent, as stipulated by the current law, to female entrepreneurs while they are on sick leave during pregnancy maintenance.

"The problem is the following, female entrepreneurs who for various reasons have to maintain a pregnancy and go on sick leave, and want their business to remain active, must 1. hire a manager, which is an additional financial pressure on their business, and 2. during that time they will to receive compensation of 50%, and not 100%, as women who work on an employment contract are entitled to," the president of the Association told the "Vremena" portal Moms are the law Tatjana Macura.

Read more Labor Law: Pregnant women and mothers in Serbia do not have the same rights

She adds that the proposed solution, that is, their idea, is to make female entrepreneurs equal in terms of the right to maternity leave with women who have an employment contract and that they also receive 100% compensation.

It is an amendment to one article of the Law on Health Insurance. The Ministry of Health is familiar with our proposal, they were even constructive during the conversation and asked us for a financial analysis.

"We have calculated that for the amendment of that part of the law, it is necessary to set aside 0.5 to 1 million euros. Apart from the fact that the measure is obviously modest and "cheap", it is supportive for female entrepreneurs who in this way do not close their business temporarily or permanently because they have an interest in not doing so, which is of course good when we look at them from another point of view, for example economy and support for MSMEs, concludes Macura.

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