Expanded leave expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of workers
Parents in the United Kingdom who experience pregnancy loss before 24 weeks will soon receive bereavement leave benefits under the government's new employment reforms.
The UK government announced on Monday new amendments under its Employment Rights Bill, which expands the coverage of its bereavement leave policy.
The policy currently covers parents who lost a child under 18 or experienced stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Sarah Owen MP, Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, said the proposed expanded coverage will give workers the security of time to grieve.
It will also help end the stigma of miscarriage, according to the chair.
"From my personal experience of miscarriage to the powerful testimony the Women & Equalities Select Committee heard, I know the difference that bereavement leave will make," Owen said in a statement.
"It is a bold and necessary move from this Government to see the UK become one of only a handful of countries in the world to recognise pregnancy loss as a bereavement and give workers the right to take time off to grieve."
In the UK, hundreds of thousands of employees are impacted by pregnancy losses annually, according to government data. One estimate it cited suggested that there are around 250,000 pregnancy losses a year, while a further 12,000 are affected by loss due to ectopic pregnancies.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said she is proud that the government is introducing protected time off work for pregnancy loss.
"No one who is going through the heartbreak of pregnancy loss should have to go back to work before they are ready," Rayner said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Miscarriage Association and neonatal death charity Sands said they welcome the proposed expansion of the bereavement leave.
"This is a hugely important step that acknowledges the often very significant impact of pre-24-week loss, not only for those experiencing the physical loss, but for their partners, too," said Vicki Robinson, CEO of the Miscarriage Association, in a statement.
Dr. Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, added that statutory leave for employees after pregnancy and baby loss will help give them the time they need.
"We now look forward to a thorough consultation involving families affected by losses before 24 weeks," Harmer said in a statement.
The expanded bereavement leave policy comes after the government launched a Parental Leave and Pay Review last week to see how it can be further improved.
"This ambitious review will leave no stone unturned as we deliver for working families," Rayner previously said.
The expanded leave policy has been announced under the Employment Rights Bill, which outlines a variety of amendments relating to employment rights.
This includes making provisions on how to handle redundancies, on the treatment of workers involved in the supply of services under certain public contracts, among other provisions.
The bill is currently at the Report Stage in the House of Lords, and is set for the Third Reading.
