[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:en-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fmaternity-and-work":3},{"id":4,"slug":5,"title":6,"short_title":7,"intro_text":8,"meta_description":9,"seo_title":10,"path":11,"content_type":12,"locale":13,"go_live_at":7,"first_published_at":14,"page_created_at":15,"published_at":14,"edit_url":16,"breadcrumbs":17,"seo":28,"rendered":37,"description":38,"body":39,"body_blocks":40,"call_to_action":41,"owner":48,"authors":56,"show_related_pages":58,"related_pages":59,"related_sites":133,"in_subsite":58,"contact_page_url":7,"banner_message":134},400,"maternity-and-work","Maternity and Work",null,"","Discover maternity leave rights and protections under labour laws in Namibia. Learn about paid leave, job security, and employer obligations. Read more","Labour Laws Namibia: Maternity at Work","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fmaternity-and-work","labourlaw.labourlawpage","en_NA","2025-07-26T11:15:32.924443+00:00","2026-04-04T10:59:27.994198+00:00","\u002Fcms\u002Fpages\u002F400\u002Fedit\u002F",[18,21,24,27],{"title":19,"slug":20},"Namibia","en-na",{"title":22,"slug":23},"Work in Namibia","work-in-namibia",{"title":25,"slug":26},"Labour Law","labour-law",{"title":6,"slug":5},{"title":29,"description":9,"image":30,"canonical":31,"robots":32,"og_type":33,"twitter_card":34,"locale":20,"created_at":35,"last_modified_at":36},"Maternity Leave, Pregnancy and Pay - Namibia","https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fmedia\u002Fimages\u002FSocial_media_preview_image_-_2025.2e16d0ba.fill-1200x630.png","https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fmaternity-and-work\u002F","index, follow","website","summary_large_image","2025-07-26T13:15:32.924443+02:00","2026-04-04T12:59:28.157763+02:00","\u003Cdiv class=\"cobra-ll-view\">\n\n  \n\n    \n    \n  \n  \u003Ch1>Maternity and Work\u003C\u002Fh1>\n  \u003Cspan class=\"lastupdated\">This page was last updated on:\n      2026-04-10\u003C\u002Fspan>\n\n  \n\n    \n  \n    \n      \n        \n          \n    \n    \n    \n        \u003Cdiv class=\"teaserItem\">\n          \u003Ch2>Maternity Leave\u003C\u002Fh2>\n          \u003Cp>According to the Labour Act, 2007, where a female employee has completed six months of continuous service, she is entitled to maternity leave of four weeks before her expected date of confinement. After her date of confinement, she is entitled to eight weeks of maternity leave in every case. The total duration of maternity leave is 12 weeks. Thus, if the pre-natal leave is less than 4 weeks for some reason, the remaining duration is adjusted in the post-natal leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The minimum period for maternity leave is twelve weeks. However, this period can be extended if there have been complications in the birth. Where there are complications in the birth, either because of the health of the employee or the employee’s child, the employer must grant an extended maternity leave of one month or the amount of accrued sick leave that the employee has at the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Source: §26-27 of the Labour Act, 2007\u003C\u002Fp>\n        \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \n\n\n        \n      \n        \n          \n    \n    \n    \n        \u003Cdiv class=\"teaserItem\">\n          \u003Ch2>Income\u003C\u002Fh2>\n          \u003Cp>Under the Labour Act, 2007, the employee is entitled to any remuneration from the employer during the maternity leave, whether extended or not, with the exception of basic wage. The Social Security Council is to pay the basic wage to the employee during the maternity period, regardless of whether it is extended or not. Hence, presumably the employees on maternity leave would be paid 100% of their monthly wage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Source: §26-27 of the Labour Act, 2007; §28-29 of the Social Security Act, 1994\u003C\u002Fp>\n        \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \n\n\n        \n      \n        \n          \n    \n    \n    \n        \u003Cdiv class=\"teaserItem\">\n          \u003Ch2>Pregnancy Testing \u002F Inquiry in Recruitment\u003C\u002Fh2>\n          \u003Cp>The Labour Act, as well as the Employment Service Act, expressly forbids an employer, when advertising jobs or when recruiting or referring people for employment, from discriminating against any person because of a past, present, or potential future pregnancy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Source: §5 of the Labour Act, 2007; §26 of the Employment Service Act, 2011\u003C\u002Fp>\n        \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \n\n\n        \n      \n        \n          \n    \n    \n    \n        \u003Cdiv class=\"teaserItem\">\n          \u003Ch2>Free Medical Care\u003C\u002Fh2>\n          \u003Cp>There is no provision concerning free medical care for pregnant workers under the Labour Act. However, the Social Security Act provides for a National Medical Benefit Fund to provide medical benefits to every employee who is a member of the Fund.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Source: §32 & 34 of the Social Security Act, 1994\u003C\u002Fp>\n        \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \n\n\n        \n      \n    \n\n    \n      \n    \n      \u003Cdiv class=\"regulations\">\n        \u003Ch2>Regulations on Maternity and Work\u003C\u002Fh2>\n        \u003Cul>\n          \u003Cli>\n            Labour Act, 2007\n          \u003C\u002Fli>\n          \u003Cli>\n            Social Security Act, 1994\n          \u003C\u002Fli>\n          \u003Cli>\n            Rule 194, 2 (2)(8)(4)(a) of Annexure-E, 199(7), 8 of Schedule 3(2) of Annexure-F of Regulations relating to Health and Safety of Employees at Work, 1997\n          \u003C\u002Fli>\n          \u003Cli>\n            Employment Services Act, 2011\n          \u003C\u002Fli>\n        \u003C\u002Ful>\n      \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n    \n\n    \n      \n    \n    \u003Cdiv class=\"related\">\n      \u003Ch2>Related Items\u003C\u002Fh2>\n      \n          _ll_jobprotection_URL_\n      \n          _ll_breastfeeding_URL_\n      \n          _ll_family_URL_\n      \n          _ll_sickleave_URL_\n      \n          _ll_employmentsecurity_URL_\n      \n          _CBA_FOLDER_URL_\n      \n    \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n    \n\n  \n\n    \n    \n\n  \n\n  \n  \n\n  \n    \u003Cstyle>\n\n      h1, h2, h3 {\n      font-weight: bold;\n      margin-top: 20px;\n      margin-bottom: 10px;\n      }\n      \n      .related a {\n        display:block;\n        border: 1px solid transparent;\n      }\n\n      ul ol, ol ol, ol ul {\n      font-size: 100%;\n      }\n\n    \u003C\u002Fstyle>\n\n  \n\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>","Your rights: maternity leave and pay in Namibia – .","\u003Cdiv>\n\n\u003Cspan>This page was last updated on:\n      2026-04-10\u003C\u002Fspan>\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Ch2>Maternity Leave\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>According to the Labour Act, 2007, where a female employee has completed six months of continuous service, she is entitled to maternity leave of four weeks before her expected date of confinement. After her date of confinement, she is entitled to eight weeks of maternity leave in every case. The total duration of maternity leave is 12 weeks. Thus, if the pre-natal leave is less than 4 weeks for some reason, the remaining duration is adjusted in the post-natal leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The minimum period for maternity leave is twelve weeks. However, this period can be extended if there have been complications in the birth. Where there are complications in the birth, either because of the health of the employee or the employee’s child, the employer must grant an extended maternity leave of one month or the amount of accrued sick leave that the employee has at the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Source: §26-27 of the Labour Act, 2007\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Ch2>Income\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Under the Labour Act, 2007, the employee is entitled to any remuneration from the employer during the maternity leave, whether extended or not, with the exception of basic wage. The Social Security Council is to pay the basic wage to the employee during the maternity period, regardless of whether it is extended or not. Hence, presumably the employees on maternity leave would be paid 100% of their monthly wage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Source: §26-27 of the Labour Act, 2007; §28-29 of the Social Security Act, 1994\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Ch2>Pregnancy Testing \u002F Inquiry in Recruitment\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The Labour Act, as well as the Employment Service Act, expressly forbids an employer, when advertising jobs or when recruiting or referring people for employment, from discriminating against any person because of a past, present, or potential future pregnancy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Source: §5 of the Labour Act, 2007; §26 of the Employment Service Act, 2011\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Ch2>Free Medical Care\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>There is no provision concerning free medical care for pregnant workers under the Labour Act. However, the Social Security Act provides for a National Medical Benefit Fund to provide medical benefits to every employee who is a member of the Fund.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Source: §32 & 34 of the Social Security Act, 1994\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Ch2>Regulations on Maternity and Work\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\n            Labour Act, 2007\n          \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\n            Social Security Act, 1994\n          \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\n            Rule 194, 2 (2)(8)(4)(a) of Annexure-E, 199(7), 8 of Schedule 3(2) of Annexure-F of Regulations relating to Health and Safety of Employees at Work, 1997\n          \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\n            Employment Services Act, 2011\n          \u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Cdiv>\n\u003Ch2>Related Items\u003C\u002Fh2>\n      \n          \u003Ca href='\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fmaternity-and-work\u002Fjob-protection'>Labour Laws Namibia: Women's Job protection\u003C\u002Fa>\n      \n          \u003Ca href='\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fmaternity-and-work\u002Fbreastfeeding'>Labour Laws Namibia: Breastfeeding\u003C\u002Fa>\n      \n          \u003Ca href='\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Ffamily-responsibilities'>Labour Laws Namibia: Family Responsibilities\u003C\u002Fa>\n      \n          \u003Ca href='\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fsick-leave'>Labour Laws Namibia: Sick Leave\u003C\u002Fa>\n      \n          \u003Ca href='\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fcontracts-and-dismissals'>Labour Laws Namibia: Contracts and Dismissals\u003C\u002Fa>\n      \n          \n      \n    \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Cstyle>\n\n      h1, h2, h3 {\n      font-weight: bold;\n      margin-top: 20px;\n      margin-bottom: 10px;\n      }\n      \n      .related a {\n        display:block;\n        border: 1px solid transparent;\n      }\n\n      ul ol, ol ol, ol ul {\n      font-size: 100%;\n      }\n\n    \u003C\u002Fstyle>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>",[],{"text":42,"link":43},"Contact Us",{"title":42,"url":44,"description":42,"rel":45,"type":46,"id":47},"\u002Fabout\u002Fcontact","follow","internal",24590,{"id":49,"first_name":50,"last_name":51,"email":52,"image":53,"function":54,"external":55},2,"Gunjan","Pandya","gunjanpandya@wageindicator.org","https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fmedia\u002Fimages\u002FGunjan-Pandya-ED_PhPZSyI.width-400.jpg","IT Specialist and Global Webmaster",false,[57],{"id":49,"first_name":50,"last_name":51,"email":52,"image":53,"function":54,"external":55},true,[60,64,68,72,76,80,84,85,89,93,97,101,105,109,113,117,121,125,129],{"id":61,"short_title":7,"title":62,"url":63},394,"Work and Wages","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fwork-and-wages",{"id":65,"short_title":7,"title":66,"url":67},395,"Compensation and Working 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Protection","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fmaternity-and-work\u002Fjob-protection",{"id":90,"short_title":7,"title":91,"url":92},402,"Breastfeeding","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fmaternity-and-work\u002Fbreastfeeding",{"id":94,"short_title":7,"title":95,"url":96},403,"Health and Safety","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fhealth-and-safety",{"id":98,"short_title":7,"title":99,"url":100},404,"Sick Leave","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fsick-leave",{"id":102,"short_title":7,"title":103,"url":104},405,"Work Injury Benefits","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fsick-leave\u002Fwork-injury-benefits",{"id":106,"short_title":7,"title":107,"url":108},406,"Social Security","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fsocial-security",{"id":110,"short_title":7,"title":111,"url":112},407,"Unemployment Benefits","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Fsocial-security\u002Funemployment-benefits",{"id":114,"short_title":7,"title":115,"url":116},408,"Fair Treatment","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Ffair-treatment",{"id":118,"short_title":7,"title":119,"url":120},409,"Sexual Harassment","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Ffair-treatment\u002Fsexual-harassment",{"id":122,"short_title":7,"title":123,"url":124},410,"Minors and Youth","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Ffair-treatment\u002Fminors-and-youth",{"id":126,"short_title":7,"title":127,"url":128},411,"Forced Labour","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Ffair-treatment\u002Fforced-labour",{"id":130,"short_title":7,"title":131,"url":132},412,"Trade Unions","\u002Fen-na\u002Fwork-in-namibia\u002Flabour-law\u002Ftrade-unions",[],"\u003Cp>MyWage is WageIndicator. Same organisation, same information, new look!\u003C\u002Fp>"]