Local companies that do not give women reasonable maternity leave rights should stop their unfair practices.

And a local bank is particularly cruel to women who leave their job within a year of taking maternity leave by forcing them to pay their employers back.

Bermuda Industrial Union president Derek Burgess made these claims on the eve of this year's International Labour Organisation's annual conference in Geneva, Switzerland, with a main topic of maternity leave and child labour.

While Mr. Burgess at that time did not name the bank, he said the policy is wrong and contravenes an ILO convention on women's rights.

"At one of the banks they give approximately ten weeks of paid maternity leave,'' he said. "But if that person after returning from that leave resigns from the company, they have to pay that money back.'' Mr. Burgess added: "That's not right. Once they earn it, you don't have to pay that back. The bank should stop it. It should give its staff 12 weeks paid maternity leave.'' He said the BIU "quite often'' received calls from non-unionised workers complaining and making inquiries about fair practices.

"That's how we learn quite a bit about what's happening in Bermuda,'' Mr.

Burgess noted. "Under our contracts we have for people that have worked at least a year, they can have full maternity benefits.'' Mr. Burgess added: "If they want to leave and they have worked for a year at the company, then they can. That's their right. They have already earned that benefit.'' Labour and Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox is leading the Bermuda contingent at the ILO convention, which includes BIU first vice president Chris Furbert, Bermuda Union of Teachers president Michael Charles, and Malcolm Dixon of the Bermuda Employers Council.

BUSINESS BUC UNIONS UNS