Consultation on extending redundancy protection for women and new parents

On 25th January 2019, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (‘BEIS’) opened a consultation on extending redundancy protection for women and new parents. The consultation document can be found here.

This consultation follows recommendations made by the Women and Equalities Committee in 2016, and the Taylor Review in July 2017, after research by BEIS and the Equality and Human Rights Commission in 2016 revealed that:

1 in 9 women said that had been fired or made redundant when they returned to work or felt forced to leave their position as a result of poor treatment
An estimated 54,000 women lose their jobs each year due to pregnancy or maternity.
BEIS proposes to extend the protection for pregnant women and new mothers against redundancy for up to six months after they return to work in the consultation. They are also seeking people’s views on whether such protection should be extended to those returning from adoption or shared parental leave.

Those wishing to take part in the consultation can respond online here, by email on increasingtransparency.consultation@beis.gov.uk, or in writing to Labour Market Directorate, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, 1st Floor Spur, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET. The consultation is open until 5th April 2019.

If you are an employer or employee wishing to seek legal advice in relation to any maternity leave issues, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Ashtons Legal Employment Law team.