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Prayagraj: Now UP women teachers assn demands ‘period leave’
Amid all the talks over ‘menstruation leave’ for working women, the Uttar Pradesh women teachers have now demanded that they too be allowed to avail three days ‘Period Leave’ or ‘Menstrual Leave’ every month over and above other leaves available to them akin to the facility that their counterparts in states like Bihar can avail when in need
Amid all the talks over ‘menstruation leave’ for working women, the Uttar Pradesh women teachers have now demanded that they too be allowed to avail three days ‘Period Leave’ or ‘Menstrual Leave’ every month over and above other leaves available to them akin to the facility that their counterparts in states like Bihar can avail when in need.
They stressed that menstruating women experience pain and bleeding, both of which affect their mental and physical state.
A delegation of women teachers under the banner of Uttar Pradesh Women Teachers’ Association has submitted this demand to Anamika Chaudhary, a member of UP Women’s Commission on Sunday in Sangam city and now plan to approach deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
Senior vice-president of the association’s district unit Poonam Gupta said that the Bihar government was extending this leave to women employees for the past 30 years.
“We want UP government to also extend three days ‘period leave’ per month for women teachers and employees,” said Poonam, who was part of the delegation that met Anamika Chaudhary and also had organisational secretary Durgawati Mishra and Indu Sharma along with district president Vithica Amarnath and general secretary Aparna Bajpai in it.
“Anamika Chaudhary has promised to make the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath aware of our demand,” she said.
UP Women Teachers’ Association’s Prayagraj unit president Vithica Amarnath said that their state president Sulochana Maurya had also submitted a memorandum in this regard to UP cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya in Lucknow.
“All units are submitting similar memorandums to elected MLAs and ministers in their respective districts. Be it Azamgarh, Bareilly or Lucknow, the plan is to let every MLA and minister aware of our demands. In Prayagraj, we plan to submit a memorandum to deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya also,” she added.
The demand comes at a time when Indian food delivery service Zomato’s decision to give female employees up to 10 days of ‘period leave’ per year has triggered a discussion about it across India and other South Asian countries.
“A lot of private companies like Tata Steel provide the option to women workers to avail ‘period leave’ even in India. It is an optional leave at most places and hardly anyone misuses it. Today women teachers either have had to come to work on the most painful day of their menstrual cycle or make up some excuse. The leave cannot take away their pain and discomfort, but it can give them a break on the days they are most uncomfortable,” said Madhvi, a primary school teacher of Sangam city supporting the demand.
