Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday backed the state's newly notified menstrual leave policy amid opposition from certain organisations. Expressing his views on the matter, the Deputy CM said that it is a government policy that will be implemented to ensure equality for the female workforce in the state.
Last month, the state's Labour Department issued an order mandating one day of paid menstrual leave per month to all women aged 18–52 working in permanent, contractual and outsourced jobs.
As per the order, the women employees have to use the menstrual leave in that very month and cannot "carry" it over to the next month.
However, the Bangalore Hotels Association (BHA) has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court challenging the state government’s directive.
When asked about some organisations opposing mandatory leave, Shivakumar said, "It is a government policy. We have to do equality; I don't feel we should differentiate between men and women."
In the petition, the BHA has questioned the very basis of the order.
The BHA’s petition argued that leave policies fall within the internal administrative domain of individual organisations.
It further termed the order "discriminatory" and pointed out that the state, despite being one of the largest employers of women, has not implemented a similar provision for its own workforce, reported PTI.
The petition is expected to be listed soon before a bench headed by Justice Jyoti Moolimani.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has extended the paid menstrual leave to employees in the government sector too.
It is applicable to women working in all industries and establishments registered under the Factories Act, 1948; Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961; Plantation Workers Act, 1951; Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966; and the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961, it had said.
The authority competent to grant casual leave may grant menstrual leave, and no medical certificate is required to avail this leave, the order said.
This leave should be entered separately in the leave/attendance book, and the menstrual leave should not be combined with any other leave, it added.
