Latest news with #maternitypay
Telegraph
07-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Teachers announce strike with just four days' notice
Parents have been given just four days' notice of a strike by London teachers in the last weeks of term. Hundreds of teachers at the Charter Schools, a group of academies in south London, are set to join industrial action by the National Education Union (NEU) this week. Parents were only told of the strikes – which are due to begin on Friday – on Monday. Teachers at the group of nine schools, which have more than 4,500 pupils aged from four to 18, will also strike on July 15, 16 and 17. At one of the Charter trust's nine schools, the strikes have forced the cancellation of a sports day and an end-of-year art gallery field trip. The NEU is demanding an increase to teachers' maternity pay that could be worth up to £5,000 each. Chris McGovern, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education (CRE), told The Telegraph: 'This action is damaging, selfish and grossly unfair on pupils. Teachers who strike have lost their moral compass.' In a letter to parents, Alison Harbottle, the headmistress of The Charter School East Dulwich said the strikes were 'deeply regrettable', adding: 'I am extremely sorry for the disruption caused to your child's education. 'Unfortunately, the NEU action is taking place on days that involve a range of activities in our end-of-year enrichment programme. We know this will be very disappointing for students involved in these activities.' Three of four demands met The strikes are set to go ahead despite the trust agreeing to three of four demands by the union. It is understood that it agreed to decouple pay rises from performance, form a staff group for workload and well-being issues, and recognise teachers' union membership. But the trust told the NEU it could not afford a demand for higher maternity pay, which could amount to as much as £4,863 extra for the highest-paid teachers. A source said: 'We were hopeful that because we had agreed with them on every point, they would see that hiking maternity pay would not be feasible. It would cost more money than we have and could mean some jobs would be lost. We just can't do that.' Charter Schools gives the highest-paid subject teachers – who in inner London receive £50,288 a year – £23,023 in maternity pay. That is £5,435 (32 per cent) higher than the £17,588 minimum rate the same teachers are eligible for under a nationwide NEU agreement known as the Burgundy Book. The union is demanding this premium increase from 32 per cent to 58 per cent, which for the highest-paid inner London teachers would see them receive £27,886 in maternity pay – an extra £4,863. This would also be £15,906 higher than the basic statutory maternity pay for which those teachers are eligible. The 58 per cent rate is currently paid by the trust at two of its nine schools, where this higher rate was agreed when they were previously local authority-maintained schools. A spokesman for the Charter Schools said: 'As a practical resolution could not be reached, we are saddened that the NEU are proceeding with strike action. 'While we value the contribution of our staff hugely, we are one of only a few academy trusts who already pay our staff more than the national agreement for maternity pay – by over 30 per cent. 'However, when trying to protect jobs because of the pressure of falling rolls and increased costs, we simply don't have the wriggle room to nearly double that commitment. What we hope we have shown, however, is that we are listening and we have always sought to engage and try and find a resolution where one has been possible.' The strikes appear to have been organised by a pro-Palestinian activist. Freddy Vanson, the district secretary for the NEU's Southwark branch, is equality, diversity and inclusion lead at Charles Dickens Primary School, one of the Charter Schools. His social media accounts feature images of him wearing a keffiyeh and holding a red bandana towards a sculpture of Che Guevara at Revolution Square in Havana, Cuba. Millions of pupils were disrupted by nationwide teaching strikes in 2023, including eight days of walkouts by NEU members in England. In April, Daniel Kebede, the NEU's leader, warned that further strikes could hit schools as soon as September this year despite the Government offering inflation-busting pay rises of 5.5 per cent.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What we know about the UK's parental leave review
The UK's parental leave system is one of the least generous compared to other developed countries. Both statutory maternity pay, aimed at employed women, and maternity allowance – for those who are self-employed – are now worth less than half of the weekly national living wage. British fathers get the worst deal in Europe, with just two weeks off at pay that amounts to less than half the minimum wage. In a bid to address the long-standing problem, the government has launched a "landmark" review of parental leave and pay – a move welcomed by families and campaigners alike. But what exactly will ministers be reviewing, and what could happen at the end of the 18-month review? According to ministers, it will delve into the entire parental leave system, including maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave. It will also look at kinship care, when a child lives with relatives or friends if the parents are unable to care for them. 'They'll be examining both the length of leave and pay rates, as well as eligibility – particularly looking at what entitlement self-employed people should get,' says Alex Lloyd, co-founder of campaign group The Dad Shift. Read more: How to cope with pregnancy sickness at work 'Currently, self-employed people get absolutely no paternity leave or shared parental leave, and drastically reduced entitlement to maternity pay compared to employees.' A source of financial anxiety for many new mums, statutory maternity and adoption leave are paid at 90% of a mother's average weekly earnings for the first six weeks. Then for the next 33 weeks, they receive whichever is the lower of that 90% figure or £187.18 a week. For self-employed women – or those who don't meet the strict eligibility criteria – the situation is equally poor. Those who are self-employed are eligible for maternity allowance, which is currently between £27 and £187.18 a week for 39 weeks. 'Both maternity, paternity and adoption pay are 43% less than the national living wage, causing many families to experience financial hardship as a result of taking time out of work when they have given birth,' says Rachel Grocott, CEO of Pregnant Then Screwed. 'Dads and non-birthing partners are forced to suck up the same benefits for their two weeks. This has long-lasting negative implications for babies and parents.' Clearly, one of the key issues is pay. Currently, new parents are struggling to afford basic necessities like food. A survey by Maternity Action and Unison found that a significant number of new mothers are skipping meals to afford essentials, or are eating smaller meals to cut back on food bills. For many single parents or low earners, low maternity pay and high living costs mean they have no choice but to return to work quickly — putting their physical and mental health at risk. Meanwhile, new fathers and partners miss out on crucial bonding time with their children. They're forced to make an impossible choice between keeping their family afloat financially or being present for them, while women shoulder most of the care burden after childbirth. 'Campaigners are calling for a minimum of six weeks paternity leave paid at 90% of salary,' says Lloyd. 'That would be a significant step forwards but would still be below the European average of eight weeks at full pay, so we would also like to see concrete provisions to further increase the length and pay in the near future.' Read more: How to apply for jobs when you're pregnant Experts have emphasised that securing better paternity pay would also benefit all parents, not just fathers. In fact, a recent report from the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath found that extending paternity leave to six weeks, paid at 90% of average earnings and available from day one of employment, could deliver net social benefits of up to £12.8 billion annually. 'Fathers want to be more involved and mothers want to stay connected to work,' says Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg, an economics lecturer at the University of Bath. 'The current system lets everyone down. We're calling for a policy that matches what modern parents want. Six weeks of well-paid leave is a simple and cost-effective place to start.' Campaigners are also calling for the complex parental leave system to be made less complicated. At the moment, it effectively excludes a lot of self-employed people, fathers and co-parents – and there are many caveats that lead to hidden inequalities. For example, there are strict eligibility criteria for statutory maternity pay. To qualify, a new mother must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before her due date — and still be employed at that time. 'We would also like to see the government remedy the injustices in maternity allowance,' says Rhian Beynon, senior public affairs and communications officer at Maternity Action. 'If a maternity allowance recipient is claiming universal credit, universal credit will treat the maternity allowance as unearned income and claw it back pound-for-pound, so effectively the claimant is no better off. By contrast, universal credit treats statutory maternity allowance as earned income.' In the UK, single parents, kinship carers and students often fall through the cracks of the current parental leave and pay system. While single parents can access statutory leave and pay if they meet employment criteria, they face greater financial pressure and lack the option to share leave. In reality, single parents often face greater challenges due to lower household income, limited flexibility, and less practical support — all made worse by a system that assumes a two-parent household. Kinship carers, like grandparents or relatives raising children, are usually excluded unless they have legal parental status. Students, unless employed, don't qualify for statutory maternity or paternity pay and often rely on benefits instead. Campaigners argue that these groups are overlooked and are calling for more inclusive and flexible parental leave policies. The review will take 18 months to complete, but campaigners say pregnant women and new parents can't wait until 2027 for legislative action on the poor state of parental pay. The UK's parental leave system is widely seen as outdated, underfunded, and unfair — especially for those who don't fit the traditional two-parent, full-time employed model. With some of the lowest rates of pay and shortest periods of leave in the developed world, it places huge financial strain on new parents, and forces many back to work too soon. 'Before the end of the review, the government needs to increase maternity pay significantly beyond the rate of inflation unless more new parents are to be pushed into poverty and debt for having a child,' says Beynon. Read more: Why neurodivergent workers pay the price for poor communication Why the pressure to be liked at work is holding women back Five soft skills that can help you get hired or promoted at work
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
‘I had to borrow money from friends and family during my maternity leave – I felt ashamed and humiliated'
New mothers have been left feeling 'ashamed and humiliated' after having to borrow thousands of pounds in order to finance their maternity leave. Campaigners are warning that at just £187.18 a week, statutory maternity pay and maternity allowance are pushing mothers into poverty. New mothers have reported going without meals and spiralling into debt because of low maternity pay, as a survey by Maternity Action found over half had resorted to credit cards, loans or borrowing from family to finance their leave. One in four of the 1,176 pregnant women and new mothers surveyed said they had borrowed between £2,000 to £4,000, whilst 23 per cent said they had borrowed more than £4,000. Laura, 39, found herself having to borrow £6,000 from her family to help pay her bills and for food after having her second child. The charity director, who did not want to include her second name, told The Independent how she was forced to return to work early as she could no longer afford to provide for her children on her maternity pay. 'By about five months we were really starting to feel the pinch so I ended up going back to work full time after seven months,' she said. 'I don't think I was really emotionally ready to do that. It was difficult for me and it was difficult for my baby. 'I was still breastfeeding so I was going into work with engorged breasts and I'm a manager so I didn't want to be sneaking off and expressing milk halfway through a meeting. There was that pressure and anxiety and I was really tired as I wasn't sleeping properly.' She described having to shop more carefully and said almost every new mother she met had had to borrow money from elsewhere. 'There's a certain amount of shame and humiliation. I've been working for 20 years and my job is not paid badly, but I'm now forced into a position where I actually am in poverty and that carries shame,' she said. 'There's just this embarrassment of having to essentially admit you're not succeeding at something. It feels like you're failing to be able to provide. 'When you're a mum it's already a very emotionally difficult time, so psychologically it damages people's confidence which means you're wellbeing is compromised which can damage your baby.' The allowance is worth just 44 per cent of the standard weekly National Living Wage and less than a third of women's full time average earnings. Maternity Action say this means that an average earning new mother could lose more than £17,000 over nine month's leave. In fact, the report found that 57 per cent had cut their maternity leave short, or are planning to, because they can't afford it. 'Our system of maternity leave is vastly outdated, with an expectation that a mother will be supported by another higher breadwinner, and dangerously out of touch with today's reality that women are often the main or higher earner in the household,' Ali Fiddy, director at Maternity Action, said. 'Our critically low level of maternity pay is pushing pregnant women and new mothers into debt and poverty with implications for the Government's pledges for closing the gender pay gap, making work pay for women, tackling child poverty and improving maternal and infant health.' Half of those surveyed also said they had to buy less healthy food due to high costs, as 38 per cent said they ate smaller meals or skipped meals entirely for cost reasons. A quarter went without food themselves to priorities feeding their children and the majority said they had to reduce the number of hours they put the heating on. Ms Fiddy added: 'If it wants to deliver its pledges on these issues, the government must consider the provision of more adequate maternity pay as part of its forthcoming review of Shared Parental Leave. 'Long-term, the chancellor should implement a programme of phased investment that delivers parity between maternity payments and the standard weekly National Living Wage. 'In the shorter-term the government should aim to at least restore payments to their 2012 pre-austerity level of around two-thirds of the National Living Wage, which financial modelling has shown is achievable.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How inadequate maternity leave harms mothers' wellbeing
Returning to work after having a baby isn't easy. On the one hand, the opportunity to gain some independence and earn money may be a welcome change after the routine of night feeds and nappies. On the other, looking after a baby while getting back into the swing of work can be overwhelming — especially if you don't feel ready. One mother, Laura from North Yorkshire, had to return to work after three months because she couldn't afford her mortgage repayments while on low maternity pay. 'I feel guilty because I've had to miss out on bonding time with my child,' she says. 'There has been no time to recover from pregnancy or the birth. I'm tired and stressed, but I have no choice.' Around 40% of mothers are forced to go back to work within four months of having a baby because they simply can't afford to stop working for longer, according to data from Pregnant then Screwed. Both statutory maternity pay, aimed at employed women, and maternity allowance — for those who are self-employed — are now worth less than half of the weekly National Living Wage. Amid the rising cost of living, many new mums are missing out on meals because they can't afford food. Read more: How to speak to your boss about a women's health issue For many, the only option is to head back to work sooner than they would like. Yet cutting short the important postnatal period can have a detrimental effect on the mental and physical health of new mothers. 'Societal expectations on women often infer that they should be 'recovered' from pregnancy and childbirth by six weeks after a baby's arrival, when in reality the physical, hormonal, and psychological shifts resulting from pregnancy, childbirth, and caring for a new baby take anywhere from six to 18 months to settle down,' says Dr Hannah Nearney, consultant psychiatrist and UK medical director at Flow Neuroscience. When you factor in sleep deprivation, the constant demands of feeding, the mental load of caring for a newborn, and the struggle to secure reliable childcare, the reality is that it can take even longer to adjust. 'It becomes quickly apparent that returning to work too soon after maternity leave can result in enormous additional external stress for women and their whole family system,' says Nearney. The postpartum period isn't just about giving mums time to care for a new baby — it's a time for recovery and adjustment. Pregnancy and childbirth exact a physical and psychological toll on women, who may be healing from a traumatic birth or recovering from major surgery after a caesarean. On top of that, they're adjusting to life as a new parent; not just the sleepless nights, but also the profound shift in their sense of identity. When women are able to take adequately paid maternity leave, it can have a protective effect on their mental health. A systematic review of 45 studies, published in The Lancet in 2023, found that taking longer leave is associated with reduced risk of depression, distress and burnout among mothers. But when financial circumstances force women back to work before they're ready, the psychological, emotional and physical effects can be far-reaching. 'There's often a profound sense of guilt and shame twinned with the overwhelm they experience linked to a sense of personal failure, both at home and at work,' says psychotherapist Alex Iga Golabek. 'Mothers I have worked with who are in this situation often fear that they are the main reason why the child's wellbeing may be affected, and conclude that they're 'not a good enough parent' when, in reality, the system they're a part of lacks adequate support measures." Read more: Could child-friendly co-working spaces fix the childcare crisis? The guilt women experience can be twofold. They may feel like they're failing their child, but they're also unlikely to feel like they're able to work to the best of their abilities. Out of 1,000 mothers surveyed by Tena, 31% said they found it harder than expected to return to their job after 10 months' maternity leave — let alone just a few weeks. Lucy Kemp, a future of work expert and employee experience expert, says there can be a constant sense of not doing anything properly, at home or at work. 'That's not a sustainable way to work, and it's certainly not how you retain brilliant women in your business,' she says. It's also important to note that the reasons for returning to work too early can be complex. Money may be the main reason, but counselling psychologist Dr Nivedita Nayak adds that there is additional societal pressure for women to seamlessly juggle multiple roles as mothers, professionals and more. 'While the economic necessity, especially for the self-employed, is undeniable and frankly a societal failing, I also believe there's a less visible layer of performative motherhood at play,' says Nayak. 'Women might feel pressured to project an image of coping and competence, minimising their struggles to avoid appearing less dedicated to either their career or their family. Read more: How 'mum brain' stigma is holding women back at work 'This internal pressure, though rarely discussed openly, can be incredibly damaging. Also, this pressure is amplified by subtle societal narratives that still often frame the ideal mother as effortlessly balancing all roles.' Inadequate maternity pay and the pressure to return to work to "prove" your worth reflect deep-rooted, harmful narratives that devalue motherhood as a legitimate and meaningful role. These expectations send a message that caregiving is secondary to paid labour, forcing many women to choose between financial stability and their own recovery and bonding time with their child. A complete overhaul of the maternity system is essential, alongside a fundamental shift in how society values and supports mothers. 'Employers should better support mothers during and after maternity leave - and can start by actually listening to what mothers need,' says Kemp. 'Enhanced maternity pay is a game changer. So is proper handover support, phased returns, coaching, and flexibility that works in real life, not just on paper. 'And it shouldn't stop the moment someone returns. Employers should be checking in regularly, making sure progression doesn't stall, and offering support without making it feel like a favour.' Read more: Five questions you shouldn't be asked in a job interview How to manage 'time blindness' at work if you have ADHD Can body doubling make us more productive at work?Sign in to access your portfolio
