THOUSANDS of workers in Thurrock – who were previously denied time off for the birth of their child – will become eligible for new day one rights to parental leave from April, through measures being laid in Parliament this week.
The changes, which stem from Labour’s recently passed Employment Rights Act, will see parents no longer be forced to make the heart-wrenching choice between being there for the first weeks of their child’s life or going back to work to avoid losing their job.
Labour has delivered these once-in-a-generation improvements to workers’ rights despite opposition from the Tories and Reform, who tried to block the Employment Rights Bill.
While Kemi Badenoch called maternity pay ‘excessive’ and Nigel Farage claimed women returning to work after raising children are worth ‘far less to the employer’, Labour stood firm with working families.
As a result of the Labour Government’s action, an additional 32,000 more dads per year will be able to access Paternity Leave immediately, as a mother would with maternity leave.
This comes as the Labour Government continues its Parental Leave and Pay Review, which will assess the whole system – from maternity and paternity leave to shared parental leave – to see how it can work better for parents and employers.
Around 390,000 people are estimated to be out of work due to caring responsibilities but want a job, including parents. The reforms to parental leave include the right to take Unpaid Parental Leave from the first day in a new job, giving a further 1.5 million parents more flexibility to share caring responsibilities.
A new Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave will also be introduced from April, providing up to 52 weeks of leave for fathers and partners who lose their partner before their child’s first birthday. This fixes the previously unfair system where bereaved partners had to rely on the compassion of an employer in order to be granted time off to grieve and care for their child.
Jen Craft, Member of Parliament for Thurrock, said:
“As a working mum, I know how difficult it can be to balance a career and a family, particularly in the first few months.
“No parent should have to worrying about work whilst they’re caring for their newborn.
“These reforms will give hundreds of families across Thurrock the support and security they deserve.”
Labour’s Business Secretary Peter Kyle said:
“No one should have to worry about whether they can take time off when their baby arrives, or lose pay simply because they’ve fallen ill.
“Our improvements to sick pay and parental leave are about giving workers and their families the security they deserve. They will ensure our drive for growth reaches everyone through providing secure, fair paying jobs and giving support to people when they need it most.”
