Montenegro Approves Paid Leave for Menstrual Pain Sufferers

The parliament in building in Podgorica. Photo: Montenegrin parliament. Rights groups have expressed satisfaction after Montenegro’s parliament amended the Health Insurance Law for women diagnosed with secondary dysmenorrhea – painful menstrual cramps – to grant two days of “menstrual leave” per month. The measure, adopted by MPs on Monday, applies to women suffering such symptoms as a result of serious underlying conditions such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, endometrial polyps, ovarian inflammation and polycystic ovary syndrome. The initiative was submitted in March ahead of International Women’s Day by independent MP Jevrosima Pejovic. The bill previously received support from the parliamentary Health, Labour and Social Welfare Committee and the Legislative Committee. The Women’s Rights Centre, an NGO, welcomed the adoption of paid menstrual leave, describing it as an important step toward recognising women’s health needs in the workplace. It also praised the persistence of MP Pejovic, who advocated for the measure. “This is a valuable example of how the presence of women in politics helps give political significance to women’s experiences, which have long been pushed into the private sphere and treated as ‘secondary’ issues,” the NGO said on Tuesday. The Centre recalled that it had proposed including this right into law two years ago, but the relevant ministry rejected the initiative at the time. “What matters now is that it does not remain merely a right on paper but becomes a concrete opportunity that provides women with safer, healthier and more dignified working conditions,” it said. According to the explanatory note accompanying the legislation, the amendments are intended to properly regulate diagnosed pathological conditions, eliminate prejudice against women in the workplace and help balance their health needs with professional obligations. The law defines the condition as symptoms caused by previously diagnosed gynecological disorders and lists symptoms including pain in intercourse, painful urination, infertility and unusually heavy menstrual bleeding. Diagnosis must be confirmed by a medical specialist. Women seeking the new benefit will be required to renew their medical certificate by December 31 each year and submit it to their employer by January 30 of the following year. The amendments also regulate compensation during leave. Under Montenegro’s Health Insurance Law, compensation for temporary incapacity for work is generally set at no less than 70 per cent of the salary base, while employers may provide a higher amount through collective agreements. The law provides 100 per cent compensation for certain categories of illness and medical conditions, including occupational diseases and injuries, pregnancy-related complications, malignant diseases, haemophilia, cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, paraplegia and quadriplegia, systemic autoimmune diseases, chronic renal failure requiring dialysis, HIV, psychoses and some other serious conditions. The amendments do not say how the law will be implemented, including how employers and state institutions will verify eligibility and prevent possible abuses of the new entitlement. BIRN was unable to reach MP Pejovic for comment on implementation of the law and safeguards against potential misuse. The amendments are expected to enter into force after their publication in Montenegro’s Official Gazette.