Will an extension to maternity leave put employers off employing women?

A group of MEPs in the Women’s Rights Committee are calling for minimum maternity leave in the European Union (EU) to be extended from 14 to 20 weeks, and be fully paid.  

A report by the committee which looked into the health and safety or pregnant workers, proposed that maternity leave should be extended, and workers must be paid their full salary “which must be 100% of their last monthly salary or their average monthly salary”.

In its draft form the new legislation said that member states may introduce of keep existing rules that are more favourable to workers than those proposed. In a vote in the European Parliament it was adopted by 19 votes in favour, 13 against and one abstention.

Maternity leave varies vastly across the world. In the US and Australia, although there are some state exceptions, new mothers do not receive paid leave.

This contrasts enormously with other countries such as Sweden and Norway, which have some of the most generous conditions – 16 months paid leave per child with the cost shared between the employer and the state.

Pregnant women in the UK also fair quite well. Under current rules paid maternity leave is available up to 39 weeks, with six weeks at 90% pay and the rest paid at a statutory level. However, this is set to increase in April 2010 to 52 weeks paid leave. 

But the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) argues that new laws could add to an already overburdened economy. It estimates that new employment and tax laws already look set to cost UK companies £26.5 billion over the next four years.

Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy at the BCC, said: “The Pregnant Workers Directive should be about setting minimum EU standards for the health and safety of pregnant workers – not adding new payroll costs for overburdened companies and national social security systems.

“Companies need to be given the space to deliver growth and jobs – without being hamstrung by new and costly maternity rules.”

The BCC is calling on the UK government to lead a campaign for a three year suspension on new EU employment law unless, it says, it can be proven that new jobs will be created as a result.

As the cost of living continues to rise how, realistically, are people expected to have a family? As the saying goes, if you wait to have enough money to have a child you would never have one, so what else should families do but campaign for better employment rights.

Yes businesses may incur some additional costs in having to employ a maternity cover position for a longer period, but women leaving to have children is not a new concept. 

If we can ensure more women are able to afford to leave and return to work – happy – then this must be better than governments across Europe paying benefits to people who feel they are better off not working at all?

What do you think?