Extended maternity leave ''should be offered to UK workers''
Tim Hill
Date posted: 26 Feb 2010
The current period of maternity leave that is available to UK workers should be extended by the government, an expert from the Daycare Trust believes.
Alison Garnham, chief executive of the childcare charity, feels that the country''s workforce may be having to put up with lower maternity leave provisions than some of their European counterparts.
She commented: "We would like to see mothers entitled to 26 weeks maternity leave at 90 per cent pay and fathers entitled to four weeks leave at 90 per cent pay."
The current period of maternity leave that is available to UK workers should be extended by the government, an expert from the Daycare Trust believes.
Alison Garnham, chief executive of the childcare charity, feels that the country''s workforce may be having to put up with lower maternity leave provisions than some of their European counterparts.
She commented: "We would like to see mothers entitled to 26 weeks maternity leave at 90 per cent pay and fathers entitled to four weeks leave at 90 per cent pay."
Increasing people''s maternity leave benefits could have positive implications for society as a whole, Ms Garnham suggests, despite the extra finance that would be required in the short term.
The views outlined by the expert follow recommendations made earlier this month by the European parliament''s Women''s Rights Committee.
It would like to see fully paid maternity leave increased to 20 weeks across the EU.
