Rotherham MP Denis MacShane launches campaign to protect working mums

Supporting Parents and Carers Campaign

Rotherham MP Denis MacShane is launching retail union Usdaw’s Parents and Carers campaign to protect the rights of working mums at a supermarket advice surgery.

A national survey by the shopworkers union revealed that new mothers are being driven back to the shopfloor too soon after giving birth because they can’t afford to take their full statutory maternity leave.

The union discovered that a shocking 78% of new mothers working in Britain’s retail stores would have liked more time off with their new babies but went back on average six weeks before their statutory maternity pay ran out.

“Hard working families and working mothers will be at the heart of Labour’s agenda for a third term,” Denis MacShane said. “We are committed to increasing paid statutory maternity leave to nine months by 2007 and 12 months by the end of the next Parliament.”

“I am really looking forward to meeting hard working staff for some very positive and frank feedback on our proposals. It will be a really useful insight into the key issues around maternity and paternity pay that I’ll need to consider in parliament.”

The survey also found that two-thirds of those going back early went back because they just couldn’t afford to stay off and the union found the average cost of taking a full 12 months off at home was a staggering £7000.

“That’s a huge sum of money for our members to lose and is what most families spend running their homes every year so this is the kind of financial blow that many low paid workers will take years to recover from,” says John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary. “That’s why we welcome government plans to extend the length of paid maternity leave, but we intend making the clear case for maternity pay to be increased.”

New dads face the same desperate economic dilemma with every father surveyed wanting more paid paternity leave but reported they just couldn’t afford to take extra unpaid leave to spend with their new born child.

In response to these alarming figures Denis MacShane is launching Rotherham’s supporting Parents and Carers campaign that puts improving parents rights at the heart of their negotiating strategy with employers and government.

“We think the focus of the current debate about maternity rights needs shifting,” John Hannett. “Women have always had babies and will continue to do so, but what’s changed is that there are record numbers of women in work and so employers have to get to grips with this issue like never before.”

“The fact is that most women will need to take maternity leave at some point in their lives so we are focusing on how we make pregnancy and maternity leave a positive experience for every woman not just those who can afford it. That’s why we are making a strong case to government for better maternity pay and also working with progressive employers to develop maternity agreements that build on the rights government has already given.”

Notes to Editors:

• Contacts for newsdesks: Usdaw’s Media Officer, Paul Clarke, can be contacted on 0161 224 2804 or at paul.clarke@usdaw.org.uk.

• Usdaw members will be meeting shoppers at Pitch 13, All Saints Square, Rotherham, between 2pm and 4pm at pm Friday March 18th. At 3pm Denis MacShane will sign the Usdaw Parents and Carers banner to officially launch the campaign.

• Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK’s fifth biggest trade union, with over 340,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.

• More information and news releases are available at our online Newsroom.

• Journalists can subscribe to receive Usdaw news releases via our online e-news service.

 Printer Friendly Page

 Email to a Friend

© 2003 (USDAW) Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
This page: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/equality/news/1110901863_29056.html
Last Modified: Wednesday, 16-Mar-2005 03:02:12 EST
Proudly designed and programmed by Social Change Online
Site Credits