Nadira is a manager at her company with salary of RM4,000.00 per month. She is currently pregnant with her first child.

(a) She was informed by her HR officer that the company does not provide any maternity allowance for female employee. She seeks your advice on whether this is allowed under the law. Will your answer differ if she is pregnant with her 7th child?

(b) Nadira was informed by her doctor that due to some complication, she will need to be put on full bed rest starting from the 7th month of her pregnancy. She seeks your advice on whether she can apply for early maternity leave before her estimated due date and how early can she apply for the maternity leave.