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Employment Solicitors Trethowans look at possible changes to EU Law that could affect UK Maternity Regulations. Plans to change employment maternity rights by the EU have been branded as “unaffordable” by a British business group. Women in the UK are currently entitled to 12 months’ maternity leave, with the first six weeks on 90 per cent pay. This is followed by 33 weeks on Statutory Maternity Pay of around £125 per week, with the remainder of the maternity leave unpaid. However, under new proposals set to be voted on by the EU next week, new mothers could be entitled to 20 weeks’ maternity leave on their full salary. The British Chamber of Commerce claims that the proposed changes could cost UK businesses up to £2.5bn a year, and argue that this is not viable in the current economic climate. This suggestion is refuted in other quarters by those who say that new policy should not be influenced by temporary economic downturns. Kieran O’Keeffe, head of European affairs at the BCC, said: “This directive should be about setting minimum EU standards for the health and safety of pregnant workers – not adding new payroll costs for overburdened companies and national social security systems.” Mr O’Keeffe added that a “better, more affordable option” would be the original proposition by the European Commission to extend maternity leave to 18 weeks, but allowing individual member states to decide their own levels of pay. Godfrey Bloom, UK Independence Party’s MEP, also branded the proposals as “madness”, and claimed that it would be detrimental to women as it would be for small and medium-sized businesses, as employers would be reluctant to employ women of child-bearing age due to the costs incurred by granting them maternity leave. For more information about Employment Solicitors Trethowans and the services they provide, visit the Trethowans website at http://www.trethowans.com/business_services/employment_hr.asp Ref: TEL-HS-17910
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