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Blandy & Blandy Solicitors

Insights // 17 November 2016

Research Shows Rise in Maternity Leave Issues

Partner Sue Dowling, head of our Employment law team, discusses the findings of a recent Citizens Advice report on maternity leave discrimination.

Research published by Citizens Advice has shown a near 60% increase in the number of women seeking advice about issues relating to pregnancy and/or maternity leave this year.

Over 3,330 women sought advice from the charity in the year to June 2016, up from 2,099 the previous year.

According to Citizens Advice, the introduction of employment tribunal fees combined with factors including a rise in agency work and zero-hour contracts has left employees more vulnerable to maternity leave related issues.

Citizens Advice said the most common issues experienced in relation to maternity leave were women being made redundant, facing a reduction in hours or having their role changed when returning to work.

Maternity rights will often arise on a return to work and/or when a redundancy situation occurs at around the time of pregnancy/maternity leave. In these situations, those who are pregnant or on maternity leave may be afforded additional protection i.e. from losing their job or having their hours or responsibilities changed as a result of pregnancy.

Citizens Advice’s research reflects the findings of a 2015 report on maternity leave discrimination published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

It found that 10% of women said they had been encouraged to miss antenatal appointments by their employers, while 54,000 women in Britain believed they had lost their jobs due to being pregnant or having children.

For further information or legal advice, please contact law@blandy.co.uk or call 0118 951 6800. 

This article is intended for the use of clients and other interested parties. The information contained in it is believed to be correct at the date of publication, but it is necessarily of a brief and general nature and should not be relied upon as a substitute for specific professional advice.

Sue Dowling

Sue Dowling

Partner, Employment Law & Venue Licensing

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