Basingstoke’s MP, Maria Miller has called on the Government to take action on maternity discrimination suffered by thousands of women in the UK during second reading of Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Bill 2019-21.
Maria has been calling for UK women to have protections similar to those in Germany since 2016, when the Women and Equalities Committee of which Maria was Chair published a report on Pregnancy & Maternity Discrimination. The report laid bare the significant discrimination and poor treatment faced by 54,000 pregnant women and mothers at work each year. Recommendations included changes to health and safety practices, preventing discriminatory redundancies and an increase in protection for casual, agency and zero-hours workers.
Maria reintroduced her 10-Minute Rule Bill in Parliament in July 2020 which seeks to prohibit redundancy during pregnancy and maternity leave and for six months after the end of the pregnancy or leave, except in specified circumstances. The Bill has cross-party backing as well as support of organisations and trade unions – the Fawcett Society, Gingerbread, Maternity Action, the National Education Union, Pregnant Then Screwed, UNISON, the University & College Union, Usdaw, the Women’s Budget Group, Working Families and the Young Women’s Trust.
Maria said, “Can I warmly welcome the Bill a recommendation made by the APPG for Women in Parliament then under the then chair Mary McLeod and I wish my Right Honourable Friend for Fareham all the very best wishes in her pregnancy.
There can be few who would think it was fair for a Minister to feel there was not alternative but to resign from their job because they are pregnant, this legislation means Ministers are not forced into that position and that’s welcome. But we know that being forced to leave a job for being pregnant is exactly what happens to thousands of the pregnant women we represent. So in righting this wrong for Government Ministers can my Right Honourable Friend, General Paymaster undertake to right this wrong for women throughout our country? Codifying the protection of a pregnant woman’s job is exactly what thousands of women need, the people we represent want to know Ministers are treated no differently to them and routinely identifying pregnant women for redundancy is all too familiar a problem. Under this government we have record numbers of women in work, they are an essential part of the economy, so we cannot ignore the fact that current legislation provides only protection in theory not in practice for thousands of women. The Government’s plans to extend the time women can apply to a Tribuneral will not solve the current problem and this situation has become even more acute over the past 12 months in the conditions created by this pandemic. Will the Pay Master General add her support to a change for the women we represent?
When it comes to modernisation there is a tendency to take ‘small steps’ but we don’t just pass laws we have a responsibility to positively influence culture, behaviour and practice, so any proposals for parental support has to have provisions that support all new parents - fathers, mothers, adoptive parents. I am pleased my Right Honourable Friend intends to take this work forward but when?
Finally, Mr Deputy Speaker, as the Government gets its house in order so must the House of Commons. Bringing in ‘Baby Leave’ was a positive step but again this was a small step, a decision made in isolation of the broader issues that need to be addressed about how this place supports parents. There is no clear process for this House to agree changes in the way we operate, Erskine May says nothing on pregnancy or support for parents and there is no clear structure in place for us to make a collective decision that can not be blocked by a minority. If we are to encourage more people from different backgrounds to want to stand for election, then as an institution we have to take this shortcoming seriously. If we don’t take action, then others might do it for us undermining our unique position as office holders not employees.
I support this Bill but it demonstrates how much more there is to do.”
The Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Bill 2019-2021 was introduced into the House of Commons on 4 February 2021. It is scheduled to go through all remaining stages of Commons scrutiny on 11 February 2021. The Bill, Explanatory Notes written by the Government and further information can be found on the Parliamentary website. The Bill’s aim is to allow Ministers to take paid maternity leave whilst remaining in government. Current arrangements for Ministerial maternity leave are set out in the Ministerial Code. A Minister who wants to go on maternity leave must seek permission from the Prime Minister. Another Minister already in government will be asked to temporarily cover the functions and responsibilities of the Minister on leave.