The bill to reduce working hours for “women under special circumstances”, the general outlines of which were passed in the Majlis in early February, has been revised after the Guardians Council objected to certain provisions. The bill will allow working women who have children under 6 years of age or children or spouses suffering from severe disability or rare disease, and female breadwinners to work 36 hours a week for the same salary and benefits of the full-time 44-hour-job per week. The Guardians Council, which is charged with interpreting the Constitution and vetting all candidates seeking public office, did not approve the bill because “the financial resources for the bill are unclear,” ISNA reported. Another objection was that in cases where women in the private sector had already signed fixed-term contracts, the employers could be forced to implement the provisions of the bill. The head of Majlis Social Commission Salman Khodadadi said on Sunday that the bill is now executable in all government organizations but its implementation in the private sector would depend on the employers.
