S.L. 452.91 Art. 6Entitlement to maternity leave.

(1) A pregnant employee may apply for maternity leave for an uninterrupted period of fourteen weeks if she notifies her employer in accordance with regulation 8 and this uninterrupted period shall increase to sixteen weeks as from 1st January 2012 and to eighteen weeks as from 1st January 2013 onwards: Provided that employees who shall be on maternity leave on 1st January 2012 shall be automatically entitled to enjoy maternity leave for an uninterrupted period of sixteen weeks, even where such maternity leave commenced before 1st January 2012:

Provided further that employees who shall be on maternity leave on 1st January 2013 shall be automatically entitled to enjoy maternity leave for an uninterrupted period of eighteen weeks, even where such maternity leave commenced before 1st January 2013.

(2) Maternity leave shall be availed of as follows:

(a) six weeks of the maternity leave entitlement to be taken compulsorily immediately after the date of confinement;

(b) four weeks of maternity leave to be availed of immediately before the expected date of confinement, unless agreed otherwise between the employer and the employee;

(c) the remaining balance of entitlement to be availed of, in whole or in part, either immediately before or immediately after the above periods, as the employee may request:

Provided that if she is unable to avail herself of the maternity leave entitlement before the date of confinement, such remaining balance of entitlement may be availed of after confinement.