Maternity protection

What is Maternity Protection?

Maternity protection issafeguards a special safeguard for women who are employedpregnant and arebreastfeeding either pregnant or breastfeeding. It provides protection for both mothersemployees and children,their bothchildren. before and after birth. Maternity protectionIt includes, among other things:

• protection of health protection in the workplace,
• special protection against dismissal,
• astatutory workprotection ban during the weeksperiods before and after birth,childbirth, and
• incomefinancial securityprotection during thethese period when work is prohibited.periods.

How long does maternity protection last before and after birth?

MaternityThe statutory protection period begins 6 weeks before the estimatedexpected due date. andDuring usuallythis endsperiod, you generally may not be required to work. However, you may expressly declare that you wish to continue working. You can withdraw this declaration at any time with effect for the future.

After childbirth, a protection period of 8 weeks aftergenerally applies, during which you may not work. In the birth.
case of premature births, multiple births, and certain cases in which the child is diagnosed with a disability, the protection period is extended to 12 weeks. If yourthe child is born before the expected due date, the maternitypost-birth protection period stillmay lastsalso abe totalextended of 14 weeks. Therefore, it does not end 8 weeks after birth but a few days later—exactlyby the number of days by which your child arrived earlier than the duepre-birth date.protection period was shortened.

Am I allowed to work during maternity protection?

Before birth,childbirth, you may continue toworking workduring the six-week protection period if you wish.expressly wish to do so. Please send us a written confirmationdeclaration inconfirming whichthat you waivewish to continue working. You can withdraw this declaration at any time.

After childbirth, you generally may not work during the 6-week maternitystatutory protection period.
However,

During the maternity protection weeksperiods, afteryou are generally entitled to maternity benefit (Mutterschaftsgeld) and, where applicable, an employer supplement to maternity benefit. For employees with statutory health insurance, maternity benefit is paid by the duehealth dateinsurance areprovider; mandatory,where andapplicable, duringthe employer pays the supplement.

During this time, Smart cannot issue invoices on your behalf. You will continue to receive your full salary for these two months, and no budget will be deducted.

Required Documents

• ConfirmationWritten ofdeclaration waiverconfirming ofthat you wish to continue working during the protection period before childbirth, if you want to continue working before the birth.
• Medical certificate stating the expected due date. This is required to determine the maternity protection (period.
• Notification of parental leave, if you wish to work before the birth),
• Medical certificate of the estimated due date (you will receive this approximately 3 months before the birth),
• Application fortake parental leave starting fromafter the end of maternity protection (pleaseperiod. requestPlease email us at members@smartde.coop. You must generally notify your employer of parental leave at least 7 weeks before it via members@smartde.coop)begins.
• Birth certificate or copyother proof of the mother’s passport with the birth date.once your child has been born.