There are concerns working mothers will have to wait another year for a national paid maternity scheme.
Mothers have long been fighting for equality in the workplace – their child-baring role often a disadvantage for job security, pay and promotion.
A national scheme for paid maternity leave has now been proposed, the only thing standing in its way is the global financial crisis.
The Rudd Government's concerned the country can no longer afford the added costs at this time of economic turmoil, and is considering excluding it from the 2009 budget.
But Unions NSW Secretary Mark Lennon says that's no excuse for holding it off any longer.
"We believe that it will be a stimulus to the economy during the economic downturn we're facing.
"Long-term it will increase the participation rate of women in the workforce, which can only be beneficial to the community and the economy as a whole."
The union is supporting the proposal of 18 weeks of maternity leave, and says it will be pushing to slowly increase the leave time to six months over a five year period.
