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Last year I turned the big 3.0 and got married - I thought that was my milestone year. As it turns out, 2009 quickly overshadowed 2008 when my husband and I found out we were pregnant. I'm going to be experiencing everything for the first time as a woman and an expectant mother which is why I'm calling this my year of firsts. I'm senior editor for Marie Claire South Africa.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Join the queue

I just printed out a 32-page I'm required to fill in after paying www.momsuifassist.co.za R600 to help me claim my maternity leave benefits. My question is... what the hell are they doing?

It would be fine if they wanted my personal details, names and numbers... but I have to contact my previous employers since 2004 requesting them to fill in forms on my behalf. And if the company has changed its name since I was there I have to request a formal letter stating the name change...
And that's not even half of what I have to do. Why is it that you only have to have been working for two years out of four in order to qualify for UIF yet they still want you to dredge up five years or work experience. What a bloody drag!
Now three friends of mine have sworn by them but I'm wondering if it's actually not better to stand in a queue -'with leaking breasts and a crying child' as Lori so aptly put it and save myself R600 because right now it feels like that's all I'm paying for.
What exactly are they doing? 

But before I judge, let me wait and see what happens. All I know is that I'm going to have to take a day off just to fill out and follow up!

Actually I'm just really frustrated! Why should I have to claim at all? Every single company, especially a female-owned business, where the majority of staff is female should be entitled to a full four months' maternity leave. In other countries, women get a full two years... and men get six months off!

2 comments:

  1. This is something I've always wondered about. How have women allowed this to happen for like for-ever? We are absolutely entitled to ATLEAST four months (even that is like just unfair - we should get a full year off, full benefits etc.). I had an idea some years ago to start some kind of forum, or movement, or rights group with just one agenda. Get the government to give us more than this. They are practically saying its some kind of crime to have kids. C'mon. They give you how many days off just for random sick leave? Freakin' hell...we deserve MORE! Probably why we have such a big crime problem, all those kids just didn't get enough time to bond with their parents...too much focus is given to work, and not enough on family in this country. NTL!

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  2. Indeed! But it's not the govt, it's the companies. By law, you have to give your employees four month's paid leave but it is not enforced if you are a private company. and of course, we are all at the mercy of our jobs and the salary we earn. Who can afford to rock the boat - especially when everyone os squealing recession and cutting back. Meanwhile we all know that the upper echelons are not being affected but are jumping on the cutting back bandwagon.
    Would you risk your job to fight for more maternity leave? They've got us by the nuts! And it's the children who are the future of this country that suffer. I wish I could afford to stay at home just like my mom did when we were growing up.

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