The chairwoman of the parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality, Marija Selak-Raspudic (Most party), said on Wednesday that she has submitted a proposal to the parliament for amending the Labor Act to protect women from being fired at least one year after returning from maternity leave.

“On the occasion of International Women’s Day, I have submitted a proposal to the parliament for amendment of the Labour Act to enable better protection for women on the labour market after their return from maternity leave, so they cannot be fired for a full year, not just 15 days” after returning from maternity leave, Selak-Raspudic said during a thematic meeting of the committee on improving women’s labour rights.

The biggest problem for women on the labour market is that at some point they also become mothers. Already when they are hired, women are asked if they plan to have children, she said, noting that currently they can only be certain that they will not be fired for 15 days after returning from maternity leave.

Women are in a disadvantaged position once they give birth because they need to go on sick leave more often due to taking care of the child. In addition, research has shown that more than half of women are fired after returning from maternity leave.

Also, a third to a quarter of women, if they were not dismissed, were not promoted because they were faced with various forms of degradation in the workplace after returning from maternity leave.

At the committee session, a number of proposals were heard on how to improve the position of women on the labour market, such as working from home, which, it was said, should be allowed regardless of the employer’s decision.

Participants in the debate also discussed a law that would specifically protect pregnant women, as well as different types of discrimination on the labour market, and the problem of fixed-term employment contracts, which affects women to a greater extent.