Employment Tribunal has stated that their employee Sham'aa was given maternity leave and all requested leave as well.

The Tribunal made the remarks following a statement posted by Sham'aa in which she raised concerns regarding her maternity leave and the Tribunal's refusal to increase her leave causing her to report to work with her infant son.

The Tribunal has received backlash on social media since the post by Sham'aa went viral. As such, the Tribunal released a statement on Saturday night that Tribunal members do not fall under Civil Service and the six-month maternity leave is not applicable to the Tribunal members.

Employment Tribunal further added that prior to the sixth amendment to Employment Act, Tribunal had already passed the policy for Tribunal members unanimously, which was supported by Sham'aa as well. The policy was gazetted on 25 August 2021.

The statement read that as per the policy, Employment Tribunal members receive a 60-day maternity leave, which has been signed on and acknowledged by Sham'aa as well. The Tribunal stated that as per the leave policy, they had accommodated Sham'aa's leave as much as possible, and that Sham'aa has not requested for her 30-days of annual leave or 10-days of family responsibility leave.

Employment Tribunal further stated that although Sham'aa's maternity leave cannot be extended, the Tribunal has already informed that they would accommodate her attendance as much as possible in accordance with the leave policy at the Tribunal.

The Tribunal added that the work environment is unsuitable for infants and children, and the members and employees have been advised against bringing their children to work.

The Tribunal also noted that it is concerning that Sham'aa had provided misleading information to the media regarding her maternity leave issue.