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The European
Parliament has given its backing to proposals that would see
maternity leave on full pay extended to 20 weeks.
The changes
would also allow fathers two full-paid weeks of paternity leave.
At the
moment, the limit on full-paid maternity is 14 weeks in the EU.
The initial
plan, put forward by the European Commission as an amendment to the
Pregnant Workers Directive, was to extend fully paid maternity leave
from 14 to 18 weeks, but with member states able to specify a
ceiling which must be equal to statutory sick pay.
However,
the Women's Rights Committee of the European Parliament
subsequently agreed to adapt the Commission proposal whereby
maternity leave would be extended to 20 weeks on full pay.
Euro MPs
supported the 20-week measure during its first reading in the
European Parliament.
Despite the
vote, the change can only become law if other EU governments agree
to it. This will entail lengthy negotiations, and the new
legislation can only return to MEPs for a second reading when a
majority of member state governments gives their backing.
The UK
government is against the plan.
The
Department of Business suggested that several EU governments oppose
the amendment, too, on the grounds of its cost.
A spokesman
for the Department said: "We know other member states share our
concerns about the real costs of this directive."
In the UK,
new mothers are entitled to a year off work. The first six weeks can
be taken on 90 per cent of pay, with a following 33 weeks on
statutory maternity pay of £124.88 a week, which is 55 per cent
higher than sick pay. The remainder is unpaid.
New fathers
can take two weeks of paternity leave at the statutory rate of
£124.88.
Businesses
are able to claim all or most of the money back from the government.
But one
leading business group argued that, if they become law, the rules
could cost £2.5 billion a year to implement.
David
Frost, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce
(BCC), said: "The vote in the European Parliament will leave
business dismayed. That the European Parliament has gone to the
trouble and expense of conducting an impact assessment only to
ignore the findings will seem incredible to our members.
"This
directive should be about setting minimum health and safety
standards for pregnant workers, not adding new payroll costs for
overburdened companies and national social security systems.
"The
idea that employers or our public finances can bear an additional
£2.5 billion per year is deeply out of touch with reality. UK
businesses will be hoping that member states can now curb the worst
excesses of these proposals. |
