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KPWKM Deputy Minister urges paternity leave in the private sector

Malaysia's private sector employers have been urged to consider paternity leave for fathers, Bernama reported.

According to Deputy Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) Minister Hannah Yeoh, the three-day paternity leave for private sector fathers, which was proposed by the Human Resources Ministry at the Labour Law Conference on 20 June, should be implemented as these fathers "need to play a role to ease the burden of mothers who have just given birth."

Minister Yeoh spoke this during a press conference after officiating the Santuni Programme for people with disabilities on Saturday (29 June).

She said: "When wives give birth, especially those who undergo Caesarean section they need the help and care of their husbands. It will put pressure on women if they need to do a lot of things on their own.

"If they have other children to be taken care of, of course the mother will not able to handle alone. Thus, employers need to consider the matter because of the family, it is important wives who have newly given birth have the support of their husbands."

Apart from the above, Minister Yeoh also stressed that the public sector has to do more in the employment of people with disabilities, as reported by The Star

She said the current employment rate of people with disabilities in the private sector is "encouraging", and that a majority of positive feedback from employers in the sector was that these employees "were hard working, dedicated, and hardly took any leave."

She added: "I am hoping that the local government-linked companies can give the disabled an opportunity to secure a job at their organisations."

Minister Yeoh also cited the role of Perak Association for Intellectually Disabled's school, where the programme was launched. "Right from nursery, school, training centre to getting employment for their students, this association does it all.

"If any organisation requires workers, this is one of the associations to look out for."

Photo / Minister Yeoh's Facebook page

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