Extend Maternity / Shared Parental Leave from 12 months to 15 months
Returning to work after maternity can be a hard and difficult experience. Extending the period of unpaid leave from 3 months to 6 months after SM Pay ends could help overcome the difficulties of new caring responsibilities, sleepless nights, breastfeeding, changed body and separation anxiety.
Please sign this petition if you support this request:
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/598408
More details
Extending unpaid leave could:
- Give another choice other than leaving employment or returning before they feel ready.
- Encourage fathers to take shared parental leave.
- Provide job security by keeping their job available - particularly useful if a partner faced possible redundancy.
- Enable mothers to start their leave before the birth without having a short amount of leave after the birth
- Give the right to request additional unpaid leave, especially relevant if the parent must return to work due to Occupational Maternity Pay or repay the additional occupational pay but cannot request a longer unpaid absence without breaking their contract.
Please sign if you support this petition.
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/598408
Obviously parents would prefer paid leave but several petitions for this have already been rejected on cost. However, this would support those able to self fund their maternity leave at no cost to the tax payer and little inconvenience to employers who will already have made arrangements for maternity cover. Many families cannot afford to live on one wage but could afford an extended break for a second earner. It would also support those wishing to pursue a career but who do not want to return whilst stressed and torn between family duties because of the young age of their baby.
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/598408