Pregnancy, maternity, and leave related to work-life balance for workers (Directive 92/85, relevant provisions of Directives 2006/54, 2010/18 and 2019/1158)

AuthorLídia Hermina Balogh
Pages36-56
36
5 Pregnancy, maternity, and leave related to work-life balance for workers
(Directive 92/85, relevant provisions of Direct ives 2006/54, 2010/18 and
2019/1158)179
5.1 General (legal) context
5.1.1 Surveys and reports on the practical difficulties linked to work -life balance
According to an analysis published in 2019, the labour market situation of mothers with
young children depends both on family and employment policies in Hungary; the authors
argue that the relevant policies struggle to find a balance between two contradicting
principles: providing sufficient family allowances and maintaining labour market flexibility
by weak protection of employees, and suggest that labour reforms would be needed:
measures concerning working time arrangements, part-time work and protection against
dismissal (including the protection of fathers with young children). 180
A study published in 2018 concludes that care work is clearly considered to be the primary
responsibility of women. As a result, women expect help only from other female family
members, and few believe that men and/or the state/municipalities should help. Moreover,
while some level of ‘tolerance’ is shown by employers towards workers with childcare
responsibilities (typically women), workers with elderly-care responsibilities (also typically
women) may face special difficulties, as this type of work-life balance issue is less
recognised by employers, thus suitable wo rking arran gements may not be availab le for
them.181
5.1.2 Other issues
A policy paper published in 2018 by an NGO, suggests that the approach of parental leave
policies from Scandinavia (more specifically, from Norway), i.e. that fathe rs ar e
encouraged by provisions to take parental leave, should be considered in Hungary as
well.182
5.1.3 Overview of national acts on work-life balance issues
Work-life balance issues are addressed first of all by the following national acts:
- Labour Code (provisions on the legal protection of, and on special arrangements for
pregnant women/parents/care providers in the field of employment); 183
- Act on the Protection of Families (provisions on the legal protection of parents, with
attention to adoptive parents as well, in the field of employment); 184
179 See Masselot, A. (2018) Family leave: enforcement of the protection against dismissal and unfavourable
treatment, European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination, available at
https://www.equalitylaw.eu/downloads/4808-family-leave-enforcement-of-the-protection-against-
dismissal-and-unfavourable-treatment-pdf-962-kb and McColgan, A. (2015) Measures to address the
challenges of work-life balance in the EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, European
network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination, available at
https://www.equalitylaw.eu/downloads/3631-reconciliation.
180 Hungler, S., Kende, Á. (2019) ‘Nk a család- és foglalkoztatáspolitika keresztútján’ (Women at the
crossroads of family policies and employment policies’), Pro Futuro, vol. 9, no. 2., available at:
https://doi.org/10.26521/Profuturo/1/2019/3881.
181 Gregor, A. and Kovats, E. (2018), ‘Women’s Affairs 2018 Societal Problems and Solution Strategies in
Hungary’, May 2018, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Budapest, available at: https://library.fes.de/pdf-
files/bueros/budapest/14462.pdf.
182 Füstös, M., Sáfrány, R. (2018), A skandináv családtámogatási modell jó gyakorlatainak feltérképezése:
kutatási jelentés (Mapping the good practices of the Scandinavian model of family support policies:
Research results), Ampók Foundation (Ampók Alapítvány), available at:
https://issuu.com/hungreenstone/docs/tanulmany_final_0404_vegleges_web.
183 Act I of 2012 on the Labour Code (2012. évi I. törvény a munka törvénykönyvérl), 6 January 2012.
184 Act CCXI on the Protection of Families (2011. évi CCXI. törvény a családok védelmérl), 31 December
2011.
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- Act on the Support of Families (provisions on childcare allowances); 185
- Act on the Benefits of Compulsory Health Insurance (provisions on maternity and
parental leave);186
- Act on Social Governance and Social Benefits (provisions on different care
allowances);187 and
- Act on Work Safety (provisions on protecting workers’ reproductive health and foetal
health).188
5.1.4 Political and societal debate and pending legislative proposals
There has been no political or social debate, and there are no pending legislative proposals
on the issue of work-life balance.
5.2 Pregnancy and maternity protection
5.2.1 Definition in national law
A pregnant worker is defined implicitly in relation to protection against dismissal during
pregnancy in the L abour Code: protection ag ainst dismissal only applies if the pregnant
employee informs her emp loyer of her condition.189 (This definition is consisten t with the
definition provided in Article 2 of Directive 92/85.)
The Hungarian law used to apply the term ‘childbed’ (gyermekágy) for the time period
following childbirth, in the context of employment and maternity-related allowan ces, but
currently this term is only used in legislation relating to healthcare, and no explicit
definition is provided for a worker who has recently given birth. It ma y be noted that the
maternity allowance that is now called ‘infant care fee’ ( csecsemgondozási díj) was until
2015 termed ‘aid covering pregnancy and childbed’ (terhességi-gyermekágyi segély); this
allowance is available until the 168th day after the birth of the child (unless the child was
born prematurely).190
The explicit definition of breastfeeding women, as provided in Article 2c of Directive 92/85,
is lacking in Hungarian law.
Articles 4-6 of Directive 92/85 are implemented by the Labour Code:191 a reduction in
working hours is provided for breastfeeding moth ers (the provision includes the term
‘mother’, instead of ‘woman’, which may exclude those women who are donating or selling
their breast milk). 192 The Act on Work Safety definition on vulnerable workers includes
both ‘breastfeeding mothers’ and ‘women who are breast milk suppliers’ (although this act
does not provide specific measures for these women).193
185 Act LXXXIV of 1998 on the Support of Families (1998. évi LXXXIV. törvény a családok támogatásáról), 24
December 1998.
186 Act LXXXIII of 1997 on the Benefits of Compulsory Health Insurance (1997. évi LXXXIII. törvény a kötelez
egészségbiztosítás ellátásairól), 25 July 1997.
187 Act III of 1993 on Social Governance and Social Benefits (1993. évi III. törvény a szociális igazgatásról és
szociális ellátásokról), 27 January 1993.
188 Act XCIII of 1993 on Work Safety (1993. évi XCIII. törvény a munkavédelemrl), 3 November 1993.
189 Act I of 2012 on the Labour Code (2012. évi I. törvény a munka törvénykönyvérl), 6 January 2012, Article
65(5).
190 Act LXXXIII of 1997 on the Benefits of Compulsory Health Insurance (1997. évi LXXXIII. törvény a kötelez
egészségbiztosítás ellátásairól), 25 July 1997, Article 40.
191 Act I of 2012 on the Labour Code (2012. évi I. törvény a munka törvénykönyvérl), 6 January 2012,
Articles 51(3) and 60.
192 Act I of 2012 on the Labour Code (2012. évi I. törvény a munka törvénykönyvérl), 6 January 2012, Article
55(1) Point (e).
193 Act XCIII of 1993 on Work Safety (1993. évi XCIII. törvény a munkavédelemrl), 3 November 1993, Article
49(1) Point (c).

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