Maternity
Pregnant employees are entitled to take 52 weeks’ maternity leave. Parents with babies due on or after 5 April 2015 are entitled to take shared parental leave. Shared parental leave enables mothers to commit to ending their maternity leave and pay at a future date, and to share the untaken balance of leave and pay as shared parental leave and pay with their partner.
Ministerial maternity bill passes amid criticism
MPs have voted to give ministers paid maternity leave, but the bill has been criticised for excluding backbench MPs and for giving no mention to paternity leave.

Employers ‘missing a trick’ on awareness of rights during pandemic
Employers could do more to make working parents aware of their rights to leave and financial support during the pandemic, a study has claimed.

Ministerial maternity bill will help ‘spectacularly small’ number of women
Labour MP Stella Creasy said she would be prepared to sue the government over plans to grant maternity protections to cabinet ministers but not backbench MPs.

New law will enable Cabinet ministers to take maternity leave
A new law will be passed that will for the first time extend maternity leave rights to senior government ministers.

April 2021 statutory maternity, paternity and sick pay rates published
The government has published the proposed statutory rates for maternity pay, paternity pay, shared parental pay, adoption pay, parental bereavement...

Fifa to grant maternity protections for footballers
Football’s international governing body, will grant female players’ maternity rights to protect them against discrimination while pregnant.

Want to help working mothers? Focus on paternity
What stereotypes need to be broken down before working mothers can achieve a level playing field?

Personnel Today Awards 2020: Family Friendly Employer shortlist
As we prepare to celebrate the Personnel Today Awards in November, it’s time to showcase those organisations that made the...

Calls to extend parental leave during Covid-19 rejected
Calls to extend parental leave and pay for families because of the Covid-19 pandemic have been rejected by the government,...

Ensure women do not lose out on maternity pay, say Labour
The Labour party has called for the government to take urgent action to ensure that those who have been pregnant...

MP’s bid to protect women from unfair redundancy gets over first hurdle
Maria Miller's proposals aim to bolster rights of women on maternity leave, who are often considered an easy target for redundancy.

Top UK employers urged to disclose parental leave and pay
Employers warned they could lose out on the best talent if they do not include transparency over family friendly working arrangements.

Worker awarded compensation after missed antenatal check-up
IT finance analyst is awarded £4,000 in a case involving attitudes to sickness, workloads, mental health and pregnancy.

Employees on maternity leave can still access furlough after deadline
Parents who are on statutory maternity and paternity leave due to return to work in the next few months will...

Return to work: employers’ questions answered
Can our office reopen yet? Do we have to provide staff with PPE? Many concerns about the return to work...
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