Employees who avail of the new entitlements in relation to ante-natal classes and breastfeeding are afforded protection under sections 14 and 15 with respect to the termination or suspension of their employment. Section 16 is a technical amendment to clarify that the provisions of the 1994 Act regarding periods of probation, training and apprenticeship apply to both female and male employees who are absent from work on protective leave. Section 17 strengthens the provisions relating to the return to work of an employee who was on protective leave to give effect to the 2002 Gender Equal Treatment Directive. An employee returning to work from protective leave will have a statutory entitlement to any improvement in the terms or conditions of the employment to which she or he would have been entitled if she or he had not been absent on protective leave.