Description

A recently tabled amendment to the Employment Rights Bill proposes that both mothers and their partners be entitled to take up to 2 weeks of bereavement leave following miscarriage or stillbirth, regardless of the stage of pregnancy.  Listen along for further details!

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Transcription

• Speaker #0

  Today in the Lefevre HR and Employment Law podcast, we're discussing the proposals to increase leave entitlement for women who suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth before the end of the 24th week of pregnancy. Currently, there is no legal entitlement to time off for such employees and any absence from work will likely be dealt with under a sickness absence or compassionate leave procedure. A recently tabled amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament, proposes that both mothers and their partners can take up to two weeks of bereavement leave following miscarriage or stillbirth, regardless of the stage of pregnancy. It is proposed that the new measure will apply in England, Wales and Scotland. Should the proposal be adopted, it will extend the same entitlements to statutory parental bereavement leave and pay, as are currently available to parents bereaved by the loss of children and stillbirths after the end of the 24th week of pregnancy. This would include those who experience miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, in vitro fertilisation embryo transfer loss and terminations for medical reasons. A report from the Women and Equalities Committee cites clear evidence that the impacts of pregnancy loss pre and post 24 weeks are similarly felt as bereavement and there is currently no statutory acknowledgement of the grief that many people will feel at a pre-24 week loss and the effects this may have on their working lives. The physical and emotional impacts can be severe and are comparable to other forms of bereavement. The report concludes that dealing with such absence under an employer's sickness absence procedure is inappropriate and inadequate, and does not afford employees adequate confidentiality or dignity, and puts them at high risk of employment discrimination. What's more, the low rate of statutory sick pay means that many women and their partners cannot afford to take the necessary time off they need, which in turn negatively impacts their wellbeing and future work prospects. Look out for further episodes in this series to stay up to date on all things HR and employment law related.