Campaigning on maternity rights (Leaflet 341)

Date: 21 February 2007

Campaigning on maternity rights

If you are expecting a baby Usdaw is trying to win you a better deal.

We are:

• Making sure women know their rights to maternity pay and how to claim it

• Making the case to Government for better statutory maternity rights

Most women have a real struggle to make ends meet when a baby is born. If you qualify for statutory maternity pay you will get 90% of your normal pay for the first six weeks of your maternity leave. This will then fall to around £112.75 a week for the next 33 weeks.

Although since coming into power in 1997, the Labour Government has increased maternity pay by over 35% and extended the pay period from 18 weeks (in April 2003) to 39 weeks, Usdaw believes this is still too low.

In many cases the union has negotiated better maternity pay than this and you should always check what you are entitled to.

Usdaw is also making the case to Government for better maternity pay. The Labour Government is committed to improving statutory maternity pay and has already said that they will do the following:

• Extend paid maternity leave from 26 weeks to nine months in 2007, with a view to extending it to 12 months from April 2009

• Give mothers and fathers the right to share a proportion of maternity leave between them

• Introduced the Child Trust Fund, which gives children a cash sum at birth to be invested for their future. This will benefit children born after 31 August 2002 giving children £250 at birth and a further payment on their seventh birthday

What people are saying about Usdaw's Supporting Parents and Carers campaign

John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary
"Many members don't think about contacting their union when they become pregnant. Yet questions about pay, leave, health and safety at work are crucial during pregnancy and in the early years of a child. Usdaw is here to help. We are negotiating a better deal for new mums and dads. The birth of a child is one of the biggest life changing experiences that any worker can go through, Usdaw wants to make it a little easier."

Janet Bruce Konuah, Usdaw member
"This campaign will really help Usdaw members who are parents now or in the future. As a rep and a mother I am really pleased my union is putting the spotlight on maternity."

Wayne Padfield, Usdaw member
"It's not just women members who will benefit from this campaign - fathers and children will benefit too as it's about putting more money into the pockets of our members. I have just become a father and I think this is a great campaign - anything that wins a better deal for our members gets my vote."

Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary
"I congratulate Usdaw on this campaign and wish you every success with it. There are many parents juggling work with bringing up a family and it's good to see a campaign that understands the pressures that new parents in particular are under."

For more information about Usdaw, our campaigns or a copy of our Maternity and Parental Rights pack, please contact your union rep or your nearest Usdaw office. Telephone: 0845 6060640 (calls charged at local rate) or e-mail: parentsandcarers@usdaw.org.uk

Campaigning on maternity rights (Leaflet 341) was correct at date of publication February 2007.

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© 2003 (USDAW) Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
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Last Modified: Thursday, 11-Sep-2008 23:16:36 EST