WOMEN employees now have an unlikely hero in the shape of a new employer alliance to help get them the extra four weeks of maternity leave even before the legislation is enacted.

In response to 'the strong appeal' from expectant parents whose babies are due before Jan 1, 2009, the Government will bring forward some parts of the enhanced Marriage and Parenthood (M&P) benefits to Aug 17, the date of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally.

But legislation for the extra four weeks of maternity leave, on top of the current 12 weeks, will be enacted only in October.

Now, four business groups have decided to band together, at the Government's urging, to get companies to voluntarily grant the extra four weeks to pregnant staff giving birth from Aug 17.

Yesterday, the Singapore Business Federation, Singapore National Employers Federation, Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and Employer Alliance issued a joint statement calling for bosses to do their part, saying that 'companies will be able to claim relevant salary costs from the Government later' anyway.

But the group also said employees should 'work with their employers to ensure that business effectiveness and operations are not compromised'.

A special briefing will be jointly conducted by the four organisations for about 1,500 employers on Sept 3 to help them implement the new measures.

Some firms, such as Network Express Courier Services, already have plans to grant the extra four weeks of leave even before the call was made.

'It will be a challenge to implement the new measures but, nevertheless, we will support it because it is an important national policy,' said managing director V.S. Kumar, who has 30 women in his 160-strong workforce.

'I plan to allow my female staff who have just given birth to take the extra month,' he said.

'As a father myself, I understand that they will need time off to attend to their babies, such as taking them for various vaccinations, for example.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 30, 2008.