Women will still risk the sack for pregnancy unless government acts

Pregnant women will continue to get a raw deal at work and even face the sack in some cases, unless the Government acts to give more support to families and employers and improve awareness of the law Julie Mellor, Chair of the EOC, said today. Julie Mellor was commenting on the publication of the Equal Opportunities Commissionís (EOC) major new report into pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, published today to mark the start of National Pregnancy Week.

Tip of the Iceberg, the interim report of the EOCís investigation into discrimination against pregnant women at work, looks at how the responsibilities and costs of pregnancy, as well as the benefits, are currently shared between employers, the state and individual women and their families.

Julie Mellor said:
Every year around a thousand women in England and Wales go so far as to take legal action claiming they were sacked because they were pregnant, and that is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg. Others face pay cuts, demotion, hostile treatment or are made to work in an unsafe environment. The impact on these womenís lives and on the health of their baby can be disastrous.

Our investigation has discovered that while the great majority of employers who know the law think it is fair, there are huge holes in many peopleís understanding. Some employers knowingly flout the law but many simply donít know what their responsibilities are or what help with costs is already available from the Government.

Itís not just families that benefit when pregnancy at work is managed successfully - itís in everyoneís interests. Most families now rely on two incomes. Women make up nearly half of the workforce and make a major contribution to the success of individual businesses and the economy. We cannot afford to lose their skills and experience. At a time when the birth rate is falling, we also rely on the next generation for our prosperity and welfare, including our pensions.

The reportís proposals for change are designed to ensure the law is better understood and communicated, and that families and employers get more support. Recommendations include:
A written statement of rights and responsibilities to be provided to every pregnant woman and her employer, to be given to a woman at her first antenatal visit.
A practical toolkit for employers, underpinned by a statutory Code of Practice, to clarify the complicated jigsaw of existing law and help with planning.
An extension of the three-month time limit for filing a pregnancy-related employment tribunal claim to give more women access to justice, as many women find it hard to go through this process around the time of childbirth. A national family strategy to deliver a coherent framework of parental employment rights and services, including better childcare and parental leave to reduce the difficulties of returning to work.

The EOC is also consulting on a range of other possible solutions,
including:
Asking the state to provide financial support for small businesses to spread the costs of pregnancy more equitably and remove some of their fears.
The provision of free mediation services and the greater use of the existing conciliation services provided by ACAS, to help employers and employees resolve their disputes before their relationship breaks down.

During its investigation the EOC has taken into account both womenís need to be able to combine work with pregnancy and motherhood and the real and practical difficulties faced by employers in managing pregnancy in the workplace. It also recognises the increasing importance of fathers, who are taking a far more active role in looking after their children than 30 years ago. It is consulting with employers, individuals and other relevant organisations to ensure that the investigation fully addresses these issues.

The investigationís final report and comprehensive recommendations will be published in March 2005.