Press Release No. 17/2017 IG Metall: The level of protection for maternity leave must not be lowered

Frankfurt am Main – IG Metall has called on the governing CDU/CSU and SPD parliamentary groups to give top priority to comprehensive health protection for women in the amendment to the Maternity Protection Act. “The amendment must not result in the protection of pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as that of the child, being pushed to the background and the existing level of protection being lowered,” said Christiane Benner, Second Chair of IG Metall, on Wednesday in Frankfurt. Under the current Maternity Protection Act, the employment of pregnant women from the end of the fourth month of pregnancy and of breastfeeding mothers between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. is generally prohibited—with some industry-specific exceptions. In the future, working hours could be extended until 10 p.m. if the woman consents and a medical certificate confirms that there are no contraindications to her employment. IG Metall warns against making the protection of pregnant or breastfeeding women a matter for negotiation between employees and employers. “Given the imbalance of power, it’s relatively clear how such negotiations would turn out,” the union representative fears. “Lowering protection standards at the expense of pregnant women is a no-go for IG Metall.”

Furthermore, there is discussion that pregnant and breastfeeding women could work longer hours starting from the time they submit their request, without requiring approval from the supervisory authority. If the authority does not object within six weeks, the night work is considered approved. “The supervisory authorities are already overburdened today. Anyone who, under these conditions, transforms the immediate requirement for approval into a later opportunity for the authority to object is effectively issuing a blank check for circumventing health and safety protections,” said Hans-Jürgen Urban, executive board member of IG Metall responsible for social policy. The union representative also fears negative consequences for all employees in the medium term. “Because if what is now being planned under the guise of maternity protection sets a precedent, every employee will have to negotiate their protective rights directly with their employer in the future,” Urban warned. “That must not happen: Employees’ health is non-negotiable!”