Our Stories
Empowering Working Mothers at Fekola Through Improved Maternity Benefits
December 13, 2023
Motherhood shouldn’t be a disadvantage for female employees – yet the quality of working mothers’ careers and lives often rely heavily on workplace maternity-leave policies.
In 2022, B2Gold’s Fekola Mine in Mali established the Fekola Women’s Collective. This employee-representative body aims to promote female voices, improve access to opportunities and leadership, and address concerns and conditions in the workplace.
Inevitably, maternity surfaced over and over as an area of concern. It became clear that local government maternity-leave laws were too restrictive for Fekola’s female employees – especially nursing mothers.
Making Maternity a Priority: Supplementary Leave for Better Outcomes
The Collective decided to make maternity a priority for 2022, analyzing its impact on the careers and home lives of female employees – and the degree to which these impacts might be addressed, in line with International Labour Organization recommendations.
“We needed to enable our members to effectively reconcile their family and work roles, preserve the health of mother and child, and guarantee a measure of employment and income security,” says Fatimata Bintou Soumare, Community Relations Specialist.
The maternity leave requirements outlined in the Mali Labour Code were written with city dwellers in mind, who typically work close to their babies for routine breastfeeding, adds Achille Dakouo, Deputy HR Manager at the Fekola Mine. “If this is implemented to the letter, it leads to undesirable consequences for female employees who are nursing,” he says.
Benefits and incentives: Fekola’s Supplementary Maternity Leave Policy
After a period of consultation, the Collective and Fekola management developed a Supplementary Maternity Leave Policy.
The policy allows female employees to apply for a three- to six-month extension on the government’s statutory leave of 14 weeks, receiving 50 per cent salary – which can be extended for an additional three months at 30 per cent salary. Should an employee not apply for supplementary maternity leave, she earns her full salary upon return to work, plus an additional 30 per cent to compensate for breastfeeding time.
Proof of concept: More Female Employees and Opportunities for Women
The new policy went into effect in November 2022. By the end of 2022, a total of 216 female employees had benefited from the Supplementary Maternity Leave Policy, with 26 applying for supplementary leave.
While relatively new, this policy, and the Collective, have helped the Fekola Mine achieve real progress, leading to greater employment security and professional opportunities for the female workforce. Globally, these kinds of changes will lead to greater female representation and participation in our workforce, making B2Gold a more diverse, and ultimately stronger, company.
Learn more about B2Gold’s work with Mali women and gender equality, in our most recent Responsible Mining Report.
