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Employers asked to do more to accommodate working mothers

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Vice President of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) Youth Arm, Blair Rose, believes that too many women are forced to choose between embracing motherhood and maintaining successful careers.

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Rose was speaking on ABWU’s recently launched series: The Workers’ Podcast. She explained that mothers have to perform vital care functions for their infants and are often disadvantaged in the workplace because of these unavoidable commitments.

“Motherhood is one of the only things that is necessary for life but you’re punished for it,” the young mother contended. “You’re punished when you become a mother because you’re now seen as less efficient in the workplace,” Rose lamented.

Rose noted, for example, that most workplaces on the island have no accommodations for mothers to express milk in between feedings. However, having raised these issues, the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union has committed to working with employers to develop a policy where mothers will be provided breaks and a safe, private room for breastfeeding or expressing milk.

The Union advocate added that the requested accommodations were unlikely to produce significant disruptions in normal work activities. “We’re not asking for the world… we’re just asking for the minimum: the necessary time and the understanding,” Rose said. The physical accommodations in many cases may only require a curtain and a small private area. “It is the support that we need. And when employees feel supported, they give back more to the organization,” she added.

According to Rose, companies in the US and UK have made significant progress on this issue. In addition to providing a comfortable space and an allotment of time, some companies also provide water and a snack room. “Some workplaces are even going as far as adding daycares so mothers can be comfortable with their children,” Rose shared.

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Rose encourages female workers everywhere to amplify their voices on the issues that affect them. She calls on women to join UNI Global’s “3 M’s” campaign which highlights the impact of Menstruation, Maternity and Menopause on working women.

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2 responses to “Employers asked to do more to accommodate working mothers”

  1. Thank you so much for advocating on the behalf of Mothers.We do appreciate your hard work and dedication on the behalf of nursing mothers.

  2. I don’t understand this article. Without proper day care services at work, how is a mother to take care of her baby and work at the same time. Who is looking after the baby while the mother is working. In some places, the employer provides the day care space and the babies and toddlers are left. Now, some one has to take care of these children. Usually, the mothers will pay a small fee for the service. This is not as simple as the article suggests. A lot of planning needs to be put in the plan to make it workable so that the mothers and employers are both happy with no or little interruption to the work place.

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]