Pregnant women and new parents will receive greater protection against being made redundant under new rules set to become law later this year.
Under current legislation, if a redundancy situation arises, employees on maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave have the right to be offered any suitable alternative vacancy, where one exists, as a priority over and above other colleagues.
The Pregnancy and Maternity (Redundancy Protection) Bill will enable this redundancy protection to be extended so that it applies to pregnant women as well as new parents returning to work from a relevant form of leave. Under the new legislation, the protection will be extended to last up to 18 months from the start of maternity leave. This 18-month window ensures that a parent returning from a year of maternity leave is entitled to six months’ additional redundancy protection.
The bill comes after government consultation and research found evidence that one in nine women had either been dismissed, made redundant or felt forced out of their job upon returning to work after having a baby, with an estimated 54,000 women a year feeling they had to leave their jobs due to pregnancy or maternity discrimination.
Being an expectant mother or new parent is already a hugely exciting yet anxious time, without the added pressure of worrying about job security. The new legislation will help shield new parents and pregnant women from workplace discrimination, and offer them greater job security at such an important time in their lives. It will also be beneficial to businesses, helping to improve employee relations and eliminate potentially costly and time-consuming conflict in the workplace.
Our Employment Team have significant experience in advising in women’s employment rights. If you have any queries, or require any assistance, please contact us on 0345 646 0406 or fill in our online enquiry form and a member of the team will be in touch.