New Labour law prompts mixed reactions

KIGALI – Two months after it was passed by parliament, the new Labour code has continued to trigger different reactions among different stakeholders. The code yesterday raised more controversies as it discussed in Kigali by the Ministry of Public Works (MIFOTRA), members of the Forum for Rwanda Women in Parliament (FFRP), human rights activists and stakeholders. The law that sets new standards of working relations between employees and their employers is described by government as a way of improving the living conditions of workers as well as facilitating the flow of investment in the country. Several stakeholders who attended the meeting say, this law may well be an obstacle not only to women’s rights, but also to the family as a whole. Among the major concerns debated was the reduction of the maternity leave from 12 weeks to six weeks. MIFOTRA’s Permanent Secretary Marceline Mukakarangwa explained that the leave was not actually reduced, showing that a mother is entitled to six weeks of leave earning 100 per cent of her salary, and if she feels the need to continue the leave for six more weeks, she will be paid only 20 per cent of her salary. “Rwanda is actually among the countries offering a long maternity leave in the region,” she said as she displayed figures showing that in Uganda and Kenya it is eight weeks and Botswana gives12 weeks with 25 per cent of salary. According to Dinah Uwera, a National Women Council Coordinator in Eastern Province, six weeks of maternity leave are not enough for a mother to have recuperated enough to resume work, which according to her would impact on her productivity. She added that one hour a day allotted to her for breastfeeding is insufficient citing transport constraints that would be involved. “While this may be possible for those who drive their own cars, what will happen to a simple teacher far in the village who doesn’t even have a bicycle?” questioned the seemingly troubled Uwera. She made it clear that many of the women in the village think they’ve been let down by their representatives in Parliament. Women form the majority in parliament. Marie Immaculee Ingabire who works with UNIFEM described the new law as “very unpopular” and called on more sensitisation to raise local and international awareness on its importance to the country. Both FFRP and MIFOTRA representatives agreed to take into consideration the concerns from both the employees and employers and make possible amendments to the law so as to match it with all sides’ needs. This new labour law Number 13/ 2009 dated on May 27, 2009 comes into force in replacement of the existing one that was passed in 2001. Following its promulgation, government gave six months of transition so as to allow more possible amendments on it. Ends