Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-04-Speech-1-086"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20090504.16.1-086"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to congratulate and thank Mrs Estrela for her report and the quality of it.
It is time for the Commission and Parliament to take up this issue. Measures are urgently needed to protect pregnant women and women who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding, and it is essential to ensure that their rights are respected. From this point of view, the report is well balanced: it deals with the regulation of night work; protection against dismissal; rights linked to social protection and employment contracts and the defence of such rights, in particular those concerning maternity pay.
However, I do not agree with Mrs Estrela’s proposals on obligatory paternal leave and the length of maternity leave. It cannot be denied that motherhood is still a hindrance to young women’s careers. The very important part on mothers returning to work must therefore not be neglected.
Maternity leave must not penalise women. Maternity leave that is too long will, inevitably, result in fewer chances for women to return to good conditions in the employment market. This is why the Commission’s proposal to set maternity leave at 18 weeks, and accompany it with realistic measures, is an excellent one, because it takes the situation of both workers and employers into account.
If we want to fight discrimination and defend women’s rights, we need to ensure that women must not resign themselves to saying goodbye to their careers, that doing so remains an active lifestyle choice. We need to expose the hypocrisy of the idea of free choice, which is often a direct result of inequalities in the salaries of men and women and insufficient childcare facilities.
I do not think that paternity leave has a place in this directive. However, if it must remain part of it, it must be more flexible. The vote in committee for the compromise of reducing paternity leave from four to two weeks is a step forward; but why should paternity leave be obligatory?
I agree that fathers should have a role, but it should not become a poisoned chalice and, if we want the presence of both the father and the mother to benefit them and their baby, we need to preserve the notion of choice. Reconciling professional and family life is at the heart of the European social project and such an important cultural change should be freely agreed upon before it is approved."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples