abolishing statutory maternity pay

[fluffonthesideboard]

Hi Guys,
So apparently the conservatives are planing on abolishing statutory maternity pay!
I was wandering if anyone here had a link to a petition or anything with more information to share?
I know the government was only announced yesterday but no time to bloody waste!

Thanks fluff

Where did you hear that? I think it is highly unlikely.

Link please?

More scaremongering ?

Scaremongering bullshit

www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/05/revealed-coalition-plans-to-slash-welfare-for-sick-poor-young-and-disabled

I think it was mentioned on a thread the other day in a sort of 'omg what will they cut next' kind of way.
It's never been mentioned by politicians.
but now you've mentioned it so publicly, you better hope Sam cam isn't a mumsnet ter.
'David darling, theres a fab idea on mumsnet for reducing the deficit'.

The backstory is that DWP prepared a discussion paper listing just about everything that could possibly be cut.

All departments do this on lots of occasions, for any/every Government, btw.

This one, whose status is unclear (at best) was leaked. And somehow became a 'gosh, they're considering all this' story.

If you are already minded to dislike the Tories, you'll see it as evidence of a covert cuts agenda (even though not a squeak has emerged elsewhere), if you're minded to like the Tories, you'll dismiss it (because there hasn't been a squeak elsewhere).

If you're neither of those, you may remember it was leaked to the left wing press in the middle of a scaremongering and fairly dirty election campaign, and it was over 2 years old.

And decide therefore to keep an eye out for any ideas that are floated, even for very early consultation, once the new team is in place. But not get scared about it yet.

There has been no announcement of any plan.

I've still not had an answer to my question on another thread on this either. Around 2010 the EU was planning on passing laws on minimum maternity pay. It was going to be something like 18 weeks at at least the same level as statutory sick pay. I'd like to know whether it ever got passed (and therefore whether abolishing entirely would be conditional on an out vote on a referendum).

I think a far greater possibility would be making larger employers contribute to paying it. I think that might happen.

I found a link here to a story published in the Grauniad. This was a leaked document listing possible ways of reducing welfare spending and includes a lot of very controversial ideas.

For maternity pay the suggestion was to first try to get employers to fund it and, if not, to cut it.

However, if the DWP is asked to write a list of all the measures needed to ensure a spending cap can be maintained, they can't say no: they will have to write a list of very unpleasant options. The story in the Guardian speculates that it was intended to show there was no more 'low hanging fruit' to cut from the budget.

"I'd like to know whether it ever got passed"

I think it was.

But unnoticed in UK, as the national provision already exceeded the new EU minimum which was introduced by that measure.

Thanks Auntie, I was aware that this was a leak and not an announcement. I hope that the government don't announce it themselves. Will keep an eye on it.

The link you have provided states only that civil servants drew up a list of possible ways to cut benefits, one of which would be to abolish SMP or make employers pay more of it.

It does not state AT ALL that the conservatives are planning to do this, only that a civil servant has listed it as an option.

Have to say I doubt this will be the option chosen. I can imagine SMP being abolished for high-earning households, but we will have to wait and see.

Thanks Auntie Stella. So although it could be reduced a lot, a full abolition would have to wait until after a referendum and with an out vote. So presumably making it a saving of limited attractiveness since it would have to be done twice within a few years.

Have you read this, Penguins?

This was a suggestion put forward by civil servants. It may never become Tory policy.

However, the Tories have said that they intend to cut £12billion from the welfare budget in this parliament. It is inconceivable that this can be done without some cuts that will be extremely controversial. The question is just where - and on whom - the axe will fall.

Until Cameron finds the courage to tell us what he actually has planned, I think it's inevitable that all sorts of frightening rumours will fill the vacuum.

Of course, the reality may prove even more frightening than some of the rumours - only time will tell!

I really can't see the Tories ever asking businesses to pay SMP. They usually try and make it as easy as possible for businesses to employ people. This would be completely counter productive imho. Nothing has been announced as to where the cuts will fall, and probably won't be for a good few months yet.

Tbh I think smp in its current format is a bit of a mess and needs a rethink.

The Tories are just looking to cut costs though which is the wrong angle to come at it from.

I've had 3 pregnancies and have never been entitled to Smp. It is a benefit that excludes many of the poorest mothers who are most in need. The conditions are complicated and exclude groups such as the self employed, women on short term contracts, the temporarily and long term unemployed, students, very young mums, sahms, some sick and disabled mums.

Then when you do claim often the poorest working mums can only afford to claim it for a very short time as they can't afford to take so long on the stat amount.

Employers should pay more, in theory, but in practice this will just lead to more discrimination!

Good to know it would need us to leave the EU, and I agree its doubtful businesses would have to pay, and if they did surely that unfortunately put more people off employing women.
Cheers for the link tribpot
Cheers guys

Here's an article on Sky News that mentions cuts to maternity pay: news.sky.com/story/1480185/nine-things-to-expect-in-the-next-five-years

Also, when I was looking online for info on maternity leave and what the Tories are planning to do about it, I came across this page: www.womenlobby.org/spip.php?article7187&lang=en

Apparently the UK are one of the countries blocking this EU Maternity Leave Directive from going through.