RepsDirect No 211 - 30 September 2003

From

Head of Health, Gail Cartmail

General Secretary, Roger Lyons

New Rights on Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Related Leave and Pay

1 Maternity Leave and Pay

- an increase in the amount of paid maternity leave to include an extra eight weeks:

the first four extra weeks at half pay plus Statutory Maternity Pay;

the remaining four weeks at the standard rate of Statutory Maternity Pay.

This new agreement is set out in plain language and was developed with the help of the campaigning organisation Maternity Alliance.

2 Paternity Leave and Pay

- an entitlement to two weeks paternity leave at full pay;
- an entitlement to reasonable paid time off to attend ante-natal classes.

3 Adoption Leave and Pay

- an entitlement to adoptive leave in line with maternity leave for all adoptions of children under age 18..

These revised agreement for pay and leave apply from 01 October 2003, for full details please see attached Advance Letter (GC) 1/2003 and related agreements. The agreement applies to England, Scotland and Wales..

Our thanks go to Maternity Alliance for their advice and input to simplify the terms and language of a previously cumbersome agreement. Amicus worked hard, in collaboration with the union's Policy Unit who secured vital meetings with Ministers, to achieve these improvements. Importantly a commitment is set out in the Advance Letter for continuing discussions about further improvements in the paid maternity and adoption leave from October 2004.