Representatives discuss at the workshop. — VNS Photo Thu Trang

Experts concurred that the draft amended Law on Social Insurance should supplement maternity benefits in voluntary social insurance in a workshop on Wednesday in Hà Nội.

The workshop on expansion of maternity protection in Việt Nam was co-organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

It is held in response to the Vietnamese Women’s Day, which falls on Friday.

Representatives at the workshop said that the adjustment would connect social security policies with economic and employment policies, as well as child care services.

Speaking at the workshop, Caroline Nyamayemobe, acting representative of the UN Women in Việt Nam, emphasised that when facing poverty or financial difficulties, women might not take maternity leave or have to return to work earlier than medically recommended.

By helping to protect women's employment and income during and after childbirth, maternity protection would ensure that women's reproductive role would not compromise their equal opportunities, economic, health and family security, she said.

Acknowledging Việt Nam's superior policies on maternity leave and maternity benefits for workers covered by social insurance, Nyamayemobe noted the need to research more appropriate policies for women who are not eligible for compulsory social insurance, including informal workers who do not have access to maternity benefits.

Because without income from maternity benefits, women having to take time off work and facing increased expenses due to pregnancy, childbirth and child care will bring financial difficulties for most families.

Within the workshop’s framework, representatives shared experiences and successful lessons in expanding maternity benefits for women.

Andre Gama, social protection programme manager for ILO Country Office in Việt Nam, noted the right to maternity benefits for women, with the goal of protecting the health and safety of mothers and children.

It will also protect women facing economic vulnerability caused by the risks of income and health loss from pregnancy and giving birth.

Maternity protection must include employment protection and non-discrimination when women take maternity leave, financial and medical benefits for mothers during breastfeeding.

It should also protect workplace health for women when returning to work after maternity leave.

Some experts mentioned challenges in the work, including the fact that people paying voluntary social insurance at present do not have any maternity benefits.

They agreed that it was necessary to review and evaluate the current policies to amend and supplement them in accordance with actual conditions and the country's socio-economic development.

Maternity policies should be integrated with other policies in national target programmes for socio-economic development.

Maternity benefits in Việt Nam are among the best in the region in terms of leave time and benefit rate.

But the limitation is the low coverage rate. Only people participating in compulsory social insurance are entitled to maternity benefits, with the beneficiary rate only accounting for about 30 per cent of the workforce, according to the ILO.

Currently, employees participating in voluntary social insurance are not entitled to maternity benefits.

Considering this, in the draft amended Law on Social Insurance, the maternity regime is redesigned in the direction of expanding voluntary social insurance regimes, creating favourable conditions for transition between voluntary social insurance and compulsory social insurance. — VNS