To qualify the pregnant employee must provide a medical certificate to their employer, specifying the expected date of delivery and proposed start date of leave.
Colombia the maternity leave is 18 weeks, one week of which is for pre-natal and is mandatory. The remaining 17 weeks are normally postnatal but 2 weeks can be taken as pregnancy leave leading up to the
labour. 100% of salary is paid during maternity leave. It works by the employer paying the employee as normal who is then reimbursed through the General Social Security System for Health.
In the case of a miscarriage an employee is entitled to paid leave for 2-4 weeks.
There is
an exemption when the maternity leave can be extended by 2 weeks - in the case
of mothers with multiple births or mothers of a child with disabilities.
The law in
Colombia prohibits dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy or breastfeeding without
the prior authorization of the Ministry of Labor that supports a just
cause.
Leave for
breastfeeding corresponds to 1 hour of daily leave for the baby’s first 6
months and half-an-hour daily until the baby is 2 years old, if the
mother proves that she is still breastfeeding the child.
If the employer wish to
terminate an employment relationship with a breastfeeding woman (up to 2
years of the child's life), the employer must obtain authorization of the
Ministry of Labor, demonstrating that the decision was made for sufficient
objective reasons, otherwise, the woman may request reinstatement.