As more and more countries all over the world have initiated the push towards menstrual leave policies for women in the workplace, the question now lingers on whether or not Malaysia will ever adopt the initiative.
According to the New Straits Times, in a written response, the Human Resources Ministry said that government-linked companies (GLCs) and private firms in Malaysia are encouraged to implement menstrual leave policy on their own without waiting for the government to legislate it.
This is because the ministry noted that it will need to do an in-depth study to figure out the pros and cons of legislating the matter, taking into account the appropriate mechanisms need to be put in place to smoothly implement this policy at company level to avoid any misuse.
“On this, the ministry needs to engage with the employers and workers associations before making any decisions. Discussion with other relevant ministries would also need to be done.”
The ministry was responding to questions on whether Malaysia would follow in the foot steps of Spain and other countries like Indonesia, Japan and South Korea in introducing a national menstrual leave policy.
“The Human Resources Ministry is following keenly the on-going debate and developments in several countries with regard to enacting laws to regulate menstrual leave policy for female employees in the private sector,” they explained.
“It is known that several countries have some form of legislations to regulate this matter, either as a paid leave or unpaid leave ranging from one to two days in a month. In most other countries, menstrual leave is implemented on a company to company basis,” added the ministry.
They noted that although enacting a law to regulate entitlement of menstrual leave in the private sector could be seen as a progressive move by the government to enhance women’s rights at the workplace, authorities have to be wary if this could instead have any adverse effect on the employment opportunities for women.
The ministry also stated that they were aware about the findings of an online poll conducted by NST which showed that 87% out of 1,177 people polled preferred an adoption of a menstrual leave policy in Malaysia.
“While the ministry appreciates the outcome of this poll, we must not immediately come to a decision to implement this as a part of the law. As such, the ministry will need to do an in-depth study.”
“The ministry also encourages those establishments with collective agreements to negotiate with their trade unions to incorporate such policy in their collective agreements,” they stated.
Meanwhile, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun said that her ministry welcomes any initiative that supports women’s welfare and wellbeing.
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Also read: Spain to Become 1st Western Country to Offer Menstrual Leave of Up to 3 Days Per Month
