The National Assembly of Angola overwhelmingly approved the new General Labor Law

The National Assembly of Angola approved this Thursday the new General Labor Law by an overwhelming majority, with the exception of two deputies from the Humanist Party of Angola, since the diploma does not contain protection for women during the menstrual cycle.

The document was approved with 172 votes in favour, two against the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA) and no abstentions.

In her explanation of the vote, PHA leader Florbela Malachias expressed “deep dissatisfaction” with the approval of the diploma, “which unfortunately does not include provisions for menstrual leave.”

“I consider this omission to be a serious shortcoming, which perpetuates discrimination against women, a gender stereotype, given the indifference to the needs and realities of female workers,” the deputy said.

Florbela Malachias also believed that MPs, as legislators, human rights advocates, have a duty to enact laws that recognize and protect the needs of women in the workplace, “and menstruation is a necessary measure for this.”

According to the deputy, the absence of this license in the law “sends a clear signal about the devaluation of women.”

In turn, a mixed parliamentary group from the Party of Social Renewal (PRS) and the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA) considered the law “timely and necessary”, and that it will help regulate relations between workers and employers, as well as guarantee greater stability and a balance between interests companies and workers.

Benedito Daniel, leader of the PRS, stressed that, barring existing inconveniences, the new law was “acceptable”, so the vote was “yes”.

The parliamentary group of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA, the largest opposition party) welcomed the return to the new treaty law indefinitely, recalling that in 2015 they voted against the still in force law. , “because some of the core values [como o contrato por tempo indeterminado] was crushed.”

“In fact, we have always been driven by the spirit of enforcing the law that serves our interests well. Today we are voting in favor, because in the specialty we have managed to take a step in the right direction, which is not yet desirable, but this is already a good start,” said MP Faustino Mumbika.

“We understand that there are still gray areas, so we will be more and more active so that no one takes advantage of the shortcomings still present in the law. The UNITA parliamentary group reiterates that more could have been done had it been a majority, he has done what the current circumstances allow,” he added, calling for “rigor and fairness in the application of the law.”

For its part, the parliamentary group of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA, the majority party) said it had consciously and responsibly voted in favor, as the law diploma “gathers the consensus reached on the new constitutional provision, the change and expansion of legal and labor relations based on international conventions, the legitimate interests of organizations and associations representing workers and employers”.

According to deputy José Semedo, the “yes” vote was also due to the fact that “the MPLA is convinced that by uniting in an efficient world, national unity and profitable and profitable work”, there will be “competitive” companies and workers in the country and happy to build from land into the soil of a country of prosperity and happiness for all her children.

The new General Labor Law reintroduces an indefinite contract, an additional three to four months of maternity leave, optional, without remuneration in an additional month, parental leave of 15 days, extension of disciplinary sanctions, employee mobility within of the same group of companies and remote work, among other innovations.