Women having suffered a miscarriage must be granted paid time off work, according to UK Teachers’ Union.
The statement came from the head of the NASUWT teachers’ union after members at their annual conference agreed not enough was being done to protect women workers’ rights. The union argues that an urgent change in the law is needed to give workers the right to paid time off after a miscarriage.
As the situation stands, workers experiencing miscarriage before the end of their 24th week of pregnancy are not statutorily entitled to any maternity leave or pay, or any sick pay or time off is entirely the at discretion of the employer.
Teachers at the Harrogate conference are calling for statutory maternity, paternity and parental bereavements rights to include both parents involved in a miscarriage situation with paid time off.
‘Miscarriages cause huge emotional and physical implications’
‘Miscarriage comes with huge emotional, and often physical, implications. Estimates vary, but around one in five pregnancies in the UK is thought to end in miscarriage, meaning tens of thousands of workers are affected each year,’ says Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary.
He went on to say, `Yet presently members experiencing miscarriage have to rely on the sensitivity and goodwill of their employer if they need time off after experiencing a miscarriage.’
‘Members experiencing miscarriage should not have their grief compounded by having to go cap in hand to their employer or worrying about whether they can afford time off. In a compassionate society, paid miscarriage leave should be a statutory right for workers in all sectors.’
Philippines was the first country in the World to allow paid statutory leave to women who had suffered a miscarriage, followed by New Zealand. South Africa grants 6 months off after a miscarriage and so does France and Germany regardless if the woman is a public worker, in a private company or is self-employed.
