Musings on mat leave....

[Ledkr]

I work for public sector and so got a pretty good maternity package but my dil is taking her leave soon and will immediately have her wages drop to 40%. This obviously leaves them struggling and she will probably it be able to take much.
Even my own generous leave started at 90% then steadily decreased.
Now my musings are that for at least a part of that period of leave I was "not fit for work" particularly with a c section, perineum damage and heavy bleeding. So why is it acceptable for is to have our wages cut?
I'm happy to be told in being silly bit it just crossed my mind.

[StillFrigginRexManningDay]

Its not acceptable. Threads here confirm that despite women proving themselves to be essential members of the workforce they are punished by the sheer biological fact of possession of a uterus or assumption of fertility.

[TondelayoSchwarzkopf]

is your DIL correct? I thought statutory was 6 weeks at 90% of pay, then Maternity Pay.

But yes, I think the 6 weeks should be at 100% of pay - in fact, it should be at least 8 weeks as you are legally not allowed to return to work within 8 weeks. Someone who knows better than me will be along.

[stargirl1701]

You are legally not allowed to return to work for 2 weeks. 4 if you work in a factory.

[Ledkr]

Oh I'm glad it's not just me.
If I'm off sick I get full pay even for a cold so after a major trauma like childbirth it's wrong we get lower wages. Bit archaic!

[Ledkr]

I'll get dil to check. She works In retail.

[wingcommandergallic]

But the full sick pay is particular to the public sector and it can be quite low in the private sector. Some people would actually better off on maternity pay than sick pay.

Also, there's lots of other benefits attached to maternity pay that I don't know are attached to sick pay, such as pension contributions.

I totally get your point that there's an overlap into inability to work due to sickness but I'm not sure that a direct comparison is right.

I suspect the government are finding a balance that doesn't overwhelm businesses with the costs of maternity leave to such an extent that they won't employ women of child-bearing age.

[Ledkr]

Yes I see your point but it stil feels like a slight inequality to me.

[YonicScrewdriver]

Wing, large businesses are refunded something like 96% of statutory maternity pay; small ones around 104%.

There are still costs, of course, e.g. Overlapping maternity cover before ML starts (though many businesses don't hire someone but muddle through)

[wingcommandergallic]

I know the smp is refunded but I doubt additional costs are eg pension contributions, NI, employee benefits. ...

I totally agree that maternity leave should be better funded, as should paternity leave. I actually wonder if improving pay for paternity leave would help improve conditions for women too.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

I think mat pay should be minimum wage for the contracted hours you work, for six months. The govt. deems minimum wage to be the lowest amount someone can live on, and then reduced it even lower for new mothers.

[TondelayoSchwarzkopf]

Thanks Stargirl I wonder where I got the 8 weeks from...possibly my employers' policies

[thedancingbear]

Information about the maternity (and paternity) leave provisions in backwards, impoverished Bulgaria:

bulgaria.angloinfo.com/healthcare/pregnancy-birth/maternity-leave/

To summarise - 410 days' maternity leave paid at 90% salary, paid by the Government. The majority of the leave can be transferred to the Father if the parents want to do that.

I'd love to see the same in this country. A key obstacle would be expense of course because I can't see much clamour for higher taxation in the UK. This said, a quick google search suggests Bulgaria has lower basic tax rates so at a guess the main driver here may be cultural.

[thedancingbear]

Incidentally, on the issue of 90% of full pay vs. 100%, is this justifiable on the basis that the person on leave doesn't have to pay travel costs to and from work every day?