Maternity Action issues general election manifesto

Abolishing upfront tribunal fees and incorporating statistics on retention rates of pregnant women into gender pay gap reporting are among 10 demands from a leading maternity campaign’s election manifesto.

Maternity Action is calling for the next government to give commitments to defend maternity rights and to better protect the health and wellbeing of mothers and their babies.

The 10 demands include:

• a formal commitment to maintaining protections provided to pregnant women and new parents under EU Directives following Brexit and to keep pace with future developments in maternity and parental rights in the EU.
• the abolition of upfront fees for employment tribunal claims for pregnant women and new mothers.
• the incorporation of reporting on retention rates of pregnant women into gender pay gap reporting.
• better protection of the maternity rights of pregnant women and new parents in casual and precarious work.
• a comprehensive revision of health and safety protections for pregnant women and new mothers to ensure that employers assess the risks affecting individual women and swiftly address them.
• the extension of existing protections against unfair redundancy to cover notification of pregnancy through to six months after return to work.
• the introduction of a proper legal right to breastfeed in the workplace.
• an increase in the flat rate of statutory maternity pay, statutory paternity pay and statutory shared parental pay to at least the minimum wage by 2020.
• the suspension of charging for NHS maternity care until effective safeguards are in place to ensure that vulnerable women living in the UK are able to access all essential maternity care.
• an increase in assistance to destitute pregnant women and new mothers supported by the Home Office or local authorities to match Income Support.

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