I have been working here in Kuwait for two years. After one year and five months I got married and now I am pregnant. I would like to ask if I am entitled to maternity leave, because in my contract it is written there that “The first party has the right to terminate the second party and repatriate her to her country in case necessary medical tests prove at any time that the second party is pregnant or has a serious disease that can be transmitted to others during this contract term. In the meantime, the second party will not be entitled to any indemnity.” My employer told me they will not pay for my maternity leave and I should go back to work after two weeks. I have already finished my two years contract and I still have not filed for my maternity leave. I’m planning to file it in the last week of August. Meaning, if I will file my maternity leave, I will no longer be under my previous contract. Am I entitled to 70 days paid maternity leave?

Name withheld
Answer: Yes, you are entitled to the maternity leave but only if you are staying with the company. If you have completed your contract, you can’t apply for the leave just because you are pregnant. You can only apply for maternity leave if you deliver the baby when you are working for the company not before that.
So, if you are still working for the company at the time of delivery, you should apply for the maternity leave. It doesn’t matter what your contract says because all such contracts which go against the Kuwait Labor Law are declared null and void. Companies can give more benefits than mentioned in the Labor Law, not less.