Women will be offered £170-a-week maternity pay for six months as part of a package of family-friendly policies unveiled by the Liberal Democrat party.
The total amount of £4,420 is the equivalent to the minimum wage for someone working a 35-hour week, the party said.
At present women get 90 per cent of their full salary for the first six weeks of maternity leave, followed by £102 for the next 20 weeks.
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Under the proposals, women could choose the existing rate or the £170-per-week rate on their employer’s maternity scheme.
Late last year, the Government announced plans to extend paid maternity leave from six to nine months, eventually increasing to 12 months. And for the first time, paid maternity leave could be transferred to fathers.
