On 21st May 2019 the Pregnancy and Maternity (Redundancy Protection) Bill was introduced to Parliament and passed to go forward to a second reading (date to be confirmed). This prohibits making employees redundant during pregnancy, maternity leave and the period of six months from the end of pregnancy; and for connected purposes.
Introduced by the chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Maria Miller, she explained its importance, stating that “it is a scandal that in 2019 so many women should be fearful of losing their jobs simply because they are pregnant.” She went on to voice the opinion that family life and the economy would both suffer unless workplace practices were brought into the 21st century.
Miller said: “We warned almost three years ago of the significant discrimination and poor treatment faced by 54,000 pregnant women and mothers at work each year. The cost of this situation is high for women on so many levels.”
The Equality and Human Rights Commission published a study claiming that one in 20 women are made redundant while pregnant or on maternity leave. It found one in 10 were treated worse by their employer after returning to work having had a baby, while one in five experienced harassment or negative comments from colleagues or managers.
Currently if a woman is to be made redundant during her maternity leave she must be offered any suitable alternative vacancies – but this relies on there being vacancies. There is no obligation to create a new job for her.
Under the new proposed rules, employers would not be able to make a woman redundant from the point that she notifies them she is pregnant until six months after the end of her maternity leave. If an employer ceased business in the area where the pregnant woman or new mother was employed, however, she would not be covered.
Women who experienced a stillbirth or miscarriage would similarly be protected for up to six months from the end of their pregnancy or any leave they were entitled to.
The Bill was scheduled for its second reading on 22nd May and the Government has been accused of dragging its feet on the matter, having delayed this reading. A rescheduled date has not yet been agreed and with Brexit and leadership battles ongoing it seems likely that this is yet another casualty of the current political chaos. Progress can be monitored here.
