Extending maternity leave to a year is ’a good idea’

The idea of extending maternity leave to a year floated by the Minister for Children, Margaret Hodge recently, appears to have the backing of the majority of people in HR, according to new figures, a finding welcomed by maternity campaigners

The latest poll by HR news and information website HR Gateway suggests that almost two-thirds (63%) of 302 voters felt extending maternity leave to a year was a ëgood ideaí with under one in three (28%) labelling it ëa bad ideaí.

Around one in ten (nine per cent) remained cautious and said that it would ëdepend on the detailí of any legislation. However, with the majority in agreement with the move maternity rights campaigners welcomed the figures:

ëThis is great news. Employers tend to be very wary so it is good to hear the idea has the support of HR.

ëHowever, if the extension is to benefit all women we also need an extension of SMP otherwise low paid mothers will have to go back after six months,í said the Maternity Alliance, a sentiment shared by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC).

However, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) did not see the result as encouraging. Current legislation needs ëtime to bed downí, it said, while the impact on Small and Medium Sized firms could be huge:

ëWe want to leave more time to see the effect of the new rights which were introduced in April 2003. We would like the government to fulfill its commitment to review the situation in 2006,í it said.

King, however, feels that good employer/employee relations could solve most of the problems. Assessing health and safety risks for pregnant women during pregnancy is a much bigger issue and something the Government needs to
address:

ëFinding suitable work for pregnant women can be difficult for SMEs as their size limits tasks available. Most of the time the only option is to suspend women on full pay for the duration of the pregnancy.

ëThe Government should create a payment similar to SMP for small employers on this issue; money they can claim back that will compensate them for the loss for a worker,í she said.