Parliament debate to extend maternity leave

[ejmay90]

Not sure if this has been posted already but please see this debate to extend maternity leave for 3 months.
Please sign if you agree :)

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/306691

It was you spouting about the green eyed monster that was the gross bit. And I hope it doesn't get extended, just for you hun.

@methtones all I meant by that comment was put in the situation you may feel differently as I would of pre child. We will let parliament decide on this one ladies, everyone's entitled to their options and noone will ever fully agree

@Lizfigs yes because i bet the posters on here who don't want it are generally past the point of maternity leave and because they missed out they don't want others to get it.
It's three months hardly a big deal 🤷
You don't need to be so spiteful just because you don't agree with it.

Oh and yeh I think you're just jelly

I could quite work tomorrow and live comfortably, so no, not really jealous as it's my choice to work, I don't need to, so why would I be of 3 months? I agree that employers should honour a longer maternity period, just not paid for by the government. I think a lot of those for it are more spiteful on this thread to be honest, you included.

@Horehound it is a big deal.

The government is ploughing money into saving jobs and you want to be fully paid and have job security for an additional 3 months.

Think of the impact on your employer - a large number of businesses are currently furloughing staff / reducing hours and insisting upon people using annual leave during this period to ensure that they can trade out of the crisis.

What you are suggesting sets our economy and women in the workplace back.

It's naive at best entitled at worst.

As I said in my first post - premie parents won't be getting extended leave to cover the time they spent in hospital until 2023. Why should anyone jump the queue ahead of them!

@Horehound I don’t want it and I had my baby at the same time as you!

And parliament will say no fucking way. Much bigger fish to fry right now like covering the cost of furloughed staff and the increase in unemployment as a result of this pandemic. Everyone saying maternity leave isn't long enough, now is not the time for that debate and that isn't relevant to the petition.

@Megan2018 I'd expect it would be a choice...

I can't understand why anyone would not want extra time on their maternity leave.
It isn't about people objecting to this nor wanting to be around their child, it's about then reasonably seeing this is an unreasonable request

Who cares if it's to do with covid, they should allow mothers longer than 9 months anyway! week they cab have 12 tbf, or you can quit work. Exactly how long would you like the government to pay you to not work? We anyway have some of the longest Mar leave in the western world

Totally ridiculous.

For those who are supportive, how do you think it should be funded ? By your employer, increased taxes, reduction in a public service?

It's three months hardly a big deal so ask for 3 months unpaid leave if its such a small deal

Nope, sorry OP. No one has had their maternity leave cancelled... it’s pretty grabby given the circumstances

Nice idea in theory. In practice, with the hardship people are struggling and will face, extending maternity leave for mums to go to baby groups is just not a priority. I went to plenty of baby groups and feel sorry for mums not getting this just now, but everyone is losing out on things they want to do. It's also a bit middle class focussed - extended maternity leave ( can people on statutory maternity leave afford another 3 months?) for baby sensory and coffee time with other mums - really? This idea sounds like it comes from someone who has had it easier in life than the average person if that's the sort of thing they start petitions about.

I do feel for anyone coming off mat leave shortly and having no chance to sort childcare, but any extension would have to be unpaid

So many posters on here know the country is collapsing all around then and that we can't afford it.
All those funds we've saved from Brexit...there you go that can contribute towards some of it :D

To be honest I'm not sure why people are against signing it when it means it would then be debated. That's when the real facts come out and pros and cons are weighed up.

And to @SleepingStandingUp I already am.

To be honest I'm not sure why people are against signing it when it means it would then be debated.

Because they don't think there's anything to debate and/or don't feel the issue should be debated as well.

What an incredibly naive way to think OP. Are you aware of the job losses, child neglect and abuse, domestic violence, food bank usage, suicides resulting from this. Not to mention the amount of resources that the NHS is going to need more than ever. But your priority is baby classes? You clearly have no idea about what is happening outside your bubble - and you don't care. It's incredibly shallow and not an idea from a very bright mind IMO.

@Horehound - that’s a naive post. The economy has collapsed, horrendous unemployment is forecast, huge increases to the NHS budget in managing those who are ill or dying. Brexit is costing the country, not saving anything.

It hasn't collapsed.
And my Brexit post was a joke ffs. I didn't vote for it because I'm not stupid.

I just can't believe this has got to parliament.

People are losing their homes potentially and their livelihoods and they want to debate about people missing a few sessions of baby yoga or whatever.

No words.

This is so breathtakingly entitled. I just can’t

Horehound. The economy has collapsed. It is being held up by enormous government spending that will run out eventually.

Mass redundancies will happen before year end - just look at BA.

This petition is a massive waste of parliament’s time.

It's nothing to do with people who don't have children. so presumably issues about domestic violence should only be discussed and supported by victims of it, issues around racism should never be discussed by white people, issues around architrave by women etc. Should drew up some time for all those white male ministers who you want to discuss paying women to stay at home with their kids as compensation for staying at home with their kids. Oh wait, most of them can't because it's nothing to do with them