The Equal
Opportunities Commission has sent an open letter to the Trade and Industry
Secretary,
Stephen Byers, to encourage the Government to include paid paternity leave and
better paid maternity leave in its Green Paper.
The EOC has
formed an alliance with six other organisations, including the TUC and
Maternity Alliance, to push for the changes, which also include more flexible
working practices for working mothers.
The EOC hopes
the open letter, sent last week, will influence the Government’s Green Paper
proposals on parental and maternity leave, due before Christmas.
The EOC’s
chairwoman, Julie Mellor, said, “Because of the rate of maternity pay, many
woman cannot afford to take as much maternity leave as they would like.
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“British
fathers work the longest hours in the whole of Europe, and most cannot afford
to take any paternity leave. These issues need to be addressed.”
