The Law on Maternity and Parental Benefits

Zakonom o rodiljnim i roditeljskim potporama uređuje se osobito zaštita materinstva, stvaranje socijalnih, kulturnih, materijalnih i drugih uvjeta ali i zaštita majki na radu, sve zbog skrbi o djeci i njihovoj dobrobiti i kvalitetnijem razvoju djece. Zakonom su preuzeta osnovna prava zaposlenih, samozaposlenih i nezaposlenih majki / roditelja na rodiljne dopuste i naknade koje su do sada propisane Zakonom o radu i Zakonom o rodiljnom dopustu majki koje obavljaju samostalnu djelatnost i nezaposlenih majki. Uređen je nov način korištenja tih prava i prava na posvojiteljski dopust. Sve je to usklađeno s Nacionalnom populacijskom politikom te sa sekundarnim izvorima prava EU. Naglašava se: uravnotežena prisutnost oba roditelja (jednakost žene i muškaraca) na tržištu rada, pronalitetna politika, uključenost očeva u obiteljski život, odgovorno roditeljstvo i blagostanje djece i ekonomska neovisnost žena. U ovim odnosima teško je pomiriti socijalnopravne i radnopravne (tržišno orijentirane) odnose, ali se i jedan i drugi aspekt naglašava. Zakon otvara mogućnost ostvarivanja propisanih prava strancima sa stalnim boravkom u Republici Hrvatskoj, a po ulasku Republike Hrvatske u Europsku uniju i jednakopravno postupanje prema državljanima iz država članica europskog prostora. U ovom radu naglašavaju se temeljne odrednice navedenog Zakona.The Law on Maternity and Parental Benefits regulates, in particular, the protection of motherhood, creation of social, cultural, material and other conditions as well as protection of mothers at work to safeguard children, their wellbeing and to secure their better development. The basic rights of working, self-employed and unemployed mothers / parents on parental leave and benefits prescribed within the Law on Maternity and Parental Benefits were copied from the Labour Law and the Law on Maternity Leave of Self-Employed and Unemployed Mothers, which have regulated these rights until now. The new mode of implementing these rights and right to adoptive leave has been regulated also. The new provisions are harmonised with the National Population Policy and secondary EU legal sorses. Balanced presence of both parents (equality of a man and a woman) at labour market has been emphasised as well as pro-natality policy, involving fathers in family life, responsible parenthood, child wellbeing and economic independence of women. In present relations it is hard to reconcile social legal and working legal (market oriented) relations, therefore, both aspects have been stressed. The Law opens a door for foreigners with permanent residence in Croatia to exercise the prescribed rights. Upon the entry of Croatia into the European Union the same rights will be given to citizens of states from the European area. In this article the basic determinants of the Law have been emphasised