Dear Auntie
As if the new changes to maternity rights weren’t enough I read recently that men will soon be able to take maternity leave and that women will be entitled to one year’s paid maternity leave, surely that cannot be right?
Mr Shocked, Whatever is the World Coming to Limited
We are still, thankfully, a long way off a man having a baby so your male employees won’t be entitled to take maternity leave. What the Government does intend to do this Parliament is to introduce significant extensions to the rights currently enjoyed by fathers. We don’t yet have any draft legislation but the Government has already consulted on its proposals and has responded with details of what we can expect to see when the legislation is drafted. As things currently stand:
As for the maternity pay, you are right. The Government intends to extend statutory maternity pay from 9 to 12 months before the end of this Parliament.