Benefits that pregnant female workers are entitled to according to the Labor Code in Vietnam

Benefits that pregnant female workers are entitled to according to the Labor Code in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, Lawnet would like to answer as follows:

1. Maternity protection for pregnant female workers in Vietnam

According to Article 137 of the Labor Code 2019, maternity protection for pregnant female workers in Vietnam is prescribed as follows:

-  An employer must not require a female employee to work at night, work overtime or go on a long distance working trip in the following circumstances:

= The employee reaches her seventh month of pregnancy; or her sixth month of pregnancy when working in upland, remote, border and island areas;

= The employee is raising a child under 12 months of age, unless otherwise agreed by her.

- Whenever an employer is informed of the pregnancy of an female employee who is doing a laborious, toxic or dangerous work, a highly laborious, toxic or dangerous work or any work that might negatively affect her maternity:

The employer shall assign her to a less laborious or safer work, or reduce the working hours by 01 hour per day without reducing her salary, rights or benefits until her child reaches 12 months of age.

- The employer must not dismiss an employee or unilaterally terminate the employment contract with an employee due to his/her marriage, pregnancy, maternity leave, or nursing a child under 12 months of age, except for cases where the employer that is a natural person dies or is declared incapacitated, missing or dead by the court, or the employer that is not a natural person ceases its business operation, declared by a provincial business registration authority that it does not have a legal representative or a person authorized to perform the legal representative’s rights and obligations.

Upon expiration of the employment contract with female employee who is pregnant or nursing a child under 12 months of age, conclusion of a new employment contract shall be given priority.

- During her menstruation period, a female employee shall be entitled to a 30 minute break in every working day; a female employee nursing a child under 12 months of age shall be entitled to 60 minutes breaks in every working day with full salary as stipulated in the employment contract.

2. The right of pregnant female employees to unilaterally terminate or suspend their employment contracts in Vietnam

- Where a female employee is pregnant and obtains a confirmation from a competent health facility which states that if she continues to work, it may adversely affect her pregnancy, she shall have the right to unilaterally terminate or suspend the employment contract.

In case of unilateral termination or suspension of the employment contract, a notification enclosed with the aforementioned confirmation from the health facility shall be submitted to the employer.

- In case of suspension of the employment contract, the suspension period shall be agreed by the employer and the employee and must not be shorter than the period specified by the health facility. If the rest period is not specified by the health facility, both parties shall negotiate the suspension period.

(Article 138 of the Labor Code 2019)

3. Maternity leave for pregnant female employees in Vietnam 

Pursuant to Article 139 of the Labor Code 2019, maternity leave is as follows:

(i) A female employee is entitled to 06 months of prenatal and postnatal leave; the prenatal leave period shall not exceed 02 months.

In case of a multiple birth, the leave shall be extended by 01 month for each child, counting from the second child.

(ii) During maternity leave, the female employee is entitled to maternity benefits as prescribed by social insurance laws.

(iii) After the maternity leave stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article expires, if so demanded, the female employee may be granted an additional unpaid leave under terms agreed upon with the employer.

(iv) The female employee may return to work before the expiry of her statutory maternity leave stipulated in (i) after she has taken at least 04 months of leave, provided she has obtained a confirmation from a competent health facility that the early resumption of work does not adversely affect her health, the employer receives a prior notice of the early resumption and agrees to the early resumption.

In this case, besides the salary of the working days, which is paid by the employer, the female employee shall continue to receive the maternity allowance in accordance with social insurance laws.

(v) A male employee whose wife gives birth, an employee who adopts a child under 06 months of age, a female employee who becomes a surrogate mother shall be entitled to maternity leave in accordance with social insurance laws.

4. Employment security for employees after maternity in Vietnam

An employee shall be reinstated to his/her previous work when he/she returns to work after the maternity leave prescribed in Clauses 1, 3 and 5 Article 139 of the Labor Code 2019 without any reduction in his/her salary, rights and benefits before the leave. In case the previous work is no longer available, the employer must assign another work to the employee with a salary not lower than the salary he/she received prior to the maternity leave.

(Article 140 of the Labor Code 2019)

5. Allowances for during period of care for sick children, pregnancy and implementation of contraceptive methods in Vietnam

When an employee takes leave to take care of a sick child aged under 07, have prenatal care check-up, due to miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth, therapeutic abortion, implementation of contraceptive methods or sterilization, the employee shall receive allowance for the leave period in accordance with social insurance laws.

(Article 141 of the Labor Code 2019)

Nguyen Ngoc Que Anh

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE