Turkish Labor Law
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Workplaces, depending on their number of personnel, may be under the obligation of providing lactation rooms and child-care units.
Turkish Labor Law and various regulations contain many provisions concerning working women and mothers. You will find the detailed information in the links at the end of the article; our today’s topic will be the nurseries provided for lactation and childcare.
As per Article 74 of Labor Law No.4857 “Female employees shall be allowed a total of one and a half hour nursing leave in order to enable them to feed their children below the age of one. The employee shall decide herself at what times and in how many instalments she will use this leave. The length of the nursing leave shall be treated as part of the daily working time.”
Obligation of providing lactation rooms and nursery
Pursuant to Regulation on “Work Conditions of Pregnant or Nursing Women, Lactation Rooms and Child Care Units, Article 13” issued in the official journal No. 28737, dated 16th August 2013;
§ A lactation room: must be provided by the employer who employs between 100- 150 women (regardless of their marital status or age), outside of but not far away more than 250 meters from the workplace.
§ Crèche: For companies with over 150 women workers it is compulsory for employer to establish also a day-care center for 0-6 age group. In case it is far away from the establishment employer must provide the transport.
§ In calculation of number of women, all female employees working in same employer’s different workplaces within the municipal boundaries shall be taken into account as total.
§ Employers may jointly establish lactation room and/or crèche, or outsource these services from the certificated institutes.
Who are to benefit from these facilities?
§ Children of female employees and male employees’ children whose mothers are dead or under the custody of father are accepted.
§ Children are kept in different places according to their age group.
§ Children should be left to the facilities before working start hours; mothers may see and take care of their children during the rest breaks.
§ No authorized persons are accepted.
Record and Exit
Children accepted in and exited from nursery are recorded in a register book, and special files are kept for them.
Healthcare, Nutrition and Education
§ Necessary medicines and medical equipment are kept in special cupboard.
§ Children accepted to nursery will go through a medical examination by the workplace doctor.
§ The doctor is to follow and record their physical and mental developments, and vaccines.
§ Foods are provided for children by taking the workplace doctor’s opinion.
§ Preschool education for their social and psychological development should be provided for the children.
Obligations of the employer
§ All expenses related to building, food, vehicle equipment, tools etc. are covered by the employer.
§ Nurseries must be controlled by the employer or its representative at least ones a month.
Notification of the Nurseries
Employer should notify the nursery established in the scope of Law No 6331 to the Ministry of National Education and relevant Provincial Labor Office within 30 days.
For detailed information about working women rights please visit our websites:
http://turkishlaborlaw.com/news/business-in-turkey/375-happy-women-s-day-part-one-women-in-labor-law
