Full pay for first 20 weeks of mat leave

[lozzy21]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1253200/EU-plans-maternity-leave-increase-cost-2bn.html

What do you think?

I for one think its a great thing. Unless we save a lot before i get pregnant we would struggle while im on maternity because allthough my company offer an enhanced maternity pay, you realy have to be a senior or above to qualify.

 

[amyclaire]

would be great if it happened
but what about:
Experts warned that the move could cost UK companies up to £2billion a year and discourage them from employing women of childbearing age.

"childbearing age" - just not acceptable putting this, childbearing age covers a huge range of women, are they saying that only a small range of women should be having children? Definitely think this discriminates against those who are waiting till a bit later in life/those who have struggled conceiving!

xxxx

 

[silverbell]

I think it would be fantastic, but I really doubt it will go ahead, which is a shame. I think it is so important.

However, they really shouldn't say we have one of the best maternity schemes etc etc, as they're not taking into consideration the fact that there is also a very high 'cost of living' in the UK.

 

[lozzy21]

Childbaring age covers from 14 to 45ish, thats practicly all of the working female population

 

[polo_princess]

Tbh i think its too long, from a business POV its just took long a time to have to pay full wages to 2 members of staff, you being on MAT leave and your temp cover. I think there will be an increase in redundancies and women 20 - 40 just not being employed.

I think something like 8 weeks/2 months would be fair, if you are going to struggle and rely on full pay then maybe you need to arrange your finances more, as the likelehood is that if you cant manage on full pay then how will you manage on SMP?

OFC id love being paid for 20 weeks next time around but i dont thinks its a very practical idea

 

[Princess_LV]

Childbaring age covers from 14 to 45ish, thats practicly all of the working female population

Surely that's the point in them saying the don't want it to go ahead? As beneficial as increased maternity rights would be, you have to look at in from both perspectives - now is not the time to think about doing something so drastic, as such a move would push so many companies over the edge that they have been so precariously balanced on for the last couple of years. Then what happens? Back to SMP regardless for the women that are put out of a job because of it. And it won't take the companies that can cope long to find ways around our already flimsy anti-discrimination law. Sorry girls, but this will not be a quick fix if it happens!

 

[lovehearts]

It would be great to get that much maternity pay but it wont happen. I run payroll for around 40 companies and even the bigger companies would struggle to pay a member of staff full time and then a temp to cover her. I think it would definatly discourage employers to employ women in general!! They can hardly ask you in an interview if you are planning a baby in the near future!! Im already worried about telling my boss about being pregnant and im not even trying yet!!! I think he would have a fit is he had to pay me 5 months pay and then cover for me as well! xx

 

[lozzy21]

The company i work for is huge and considering it is a not for profit company we had a 16 million pfifit last year. In the 3 years i have worked there i have only known 4 women to have children. As i said we do have an enhanced maternity package but the clever buggers have worked it out as you would only qualify if you were a supervisor and they wonder why so many of them dont go back to work afterwards because the pay is so crap in the first place.

I think i just need to win the lottery

 

[lovehearts]

shouldnt they offer the maternity package to everyone lozzy? surly thats not fair - not up to you if your a supervisor or not is it?!?! pah - i just got standard smp to look forward to - bugger all really!!

 

[lozzy21]

shouldnt they offer the maternity package to everyone lozzy? surly thats not fair - not up to you if your a supervisor or not is it?!?! pah - i just got standard smp to look forward to - bugger all really!!

They way they do it is for so many weeks after your 6 weeks at 90% pay they will make add to the smp to half your monthly wages. Unfortunatly smp is more than half a support workers wage.

 

[polo_princess]

More than half

Shocking, i cant believe they make you work as many hours as you do for that kind of money

 

[lozzy21]

Im a support worker for adults with learning disabiltys. They are verbaly and physicaly agressive. They need to be restraned on a regular basis and have broken staff members bones in the past. I have a nvq3 in health and social care and work 37.5 hours a week and take home £195 a week. So full pay for me for 20 weeks wont put the company out that much

 

[Welshie]

I work for the NHS and i am also a support worker, we get full pay basically for 6 months when you work it all out. I take home £1350 a month.

We have got savings so that i can take the full 9 months off, would love a year but that aint gonna happen

 

[lozzy21]

I work for the NHS and i am also a support worker, we get full pay basically for 6 months when you work it all out. I take home £1350 a month.

We have got savings so that i can take the full 9 months off, would love a year but that aint gonna happen

Thats the differance between the nhs and a private company, they pay you shit

 

[pumpkim]

Although I would love 20 weeks at full pay I realise it's unrealistic from a business perspective. My company pays 6 weeks at full pay then 12 at half and to be honest we'll struggle on that as I'm the main earner. I do think we need a happy medium, 12 weeks at full pay would be nice

 

[DJ987]

I work for the NHS and i am also a support worker, we get full pay basically for 6 months when you work it all out. I take home £1350 a month.

We have got savings so that i can take the full 9 months off, would love a year but that aint gonna happen

I work for the NHS too and feel so lucky that we get such good maternity pay. I think that the NHS would struggle to pay this much maternity pay though out of already tight budgets. I do think it's such a good idea though and it would help so many families and stop finances being such an obstacle. With it being an EU thing it wouldn't surprise me if it does get through as they get their own way with most things!! Go EU on this one I think!!

 

[poppy]

That sounds absolutely fantastic...typical that it is the UK that is against it, bah! It would really help mothers take longer maternity leave, so many women feel financially pressurised to go back to work after only a couple of months, so this would really help.

I loved the Labour Party MEP's name - Mary Honeyball - very Bond girl!

Thanks Lozz for posting this.

xxx

 

[Deeper Blue]

I'm an NHS girlie too and agree its great package we get. Not sure how I stand on us getting 20wks... I think for little companies it would be totally crippling and would for sure put them off hiring young women who didn't have children because they would possibly be paying them for 2, 3, 4 lots of mat leave.

 

[plutosblue]

Like the others have said, wonderful idea, but it wont go ahead, companies will not be happy and may be prejudiced against female employees.

I can't even remember what our mat pay is like but I think its 6 months normal and then standard mat pay for the rest of the year. I suppose its just difficult, if the cost of living in the UK wasn't so expensive it wouldn't be such an issue.