Social security Law (SSL) | Article 14, paragraph C

Proposed amendments

The aim is to establish equality for employed female spouses that are covered by the SSL by granting them the right to unconditionally grant this SSL coverage to their unemployed male spouses.

Employed female spouses cannot grant this SSL coverage to their male spouses unless they are aged more than 60 years or in case they suffer from a disability.

Current situation

A draft law was prepared by NCLW and submitted to the parliament by the MPs Gilberte Zouein and Michel Moussa on 26/7/2011. (the draft law was registered in Parliament under no: 479/2011)
On 14 May 2012, the Board of Directors of the Social Security Fund approved the recommendations of NCLW to amend article 14, 46 and 47.
The draft law was then transferred to the parliamentary committees: Administration and justice committee, Women and child committee, Finance and budget committee).
On 8/10/2012, the Women and Child Committee adopted the following amendments on clauses b and c of paragraph 2 of article 14 on the conditions to benefit from the Social Security allowances:
“Husbands if they do not have a waged profession or do not benefit from health services or sickness allowances from a compulsory public system, or are not registered in liberal professions unions, or are not registered in the commercial registry or professions’ registry.
In case of polygamy, the employed benefits from the allowances due to the first legal wife”.
On 15/5/2013 after a review of the amendment which was approved by the women and child committee, NCLW requested from the head and members of the committee to reconsider the proposed amendments as they entail even more discrimination against woman instead of eliminating it. NCLW considered the exceptions mentioned in the proposal as unjust and requested their cancellation. These exceptions are:
a) Husbands registered in liberal professions syndicates;
b) Husbands registered in the commercial registry as well as husbands who benefit from other health allowances.

Future steps

Pending follow-up at the Parliament.