A new study reveals the UK is among one of the worst countries in Europe for maternity pay, ranking only 22nd out of 24 in the European league table of ‘decently paid’ maternity leave. Only Slovakia and Ireland offer worse entitlements for expectant mothers.
According to the TUC, ‘decently paid’ can be defined as two-thirds of a woman’s salary or just over £840 per month and the majority of employed mothers in the UK hold the right to 52 weeks of maternity leave.
Despite the backlash, the UK government deem the maternity system to be one of the most generous in the world as mother’s are entitled to 39 weeks of guaranteed pay. However it is only within the first six weeks of maternity leave that women are entitled to 90% of their weekly wage as their statutory maternity pay, for many, six weeks is understandably just too short. After these six weeks, money available drops to £140 a week, a figure below the national minimum wage.
Women that are earning £112 a week or under are not eligible for maternity pay, but the majority are able claim maternity allowance instead. The TUC argue statutory maternity pay must reach the same level as the minimum wage so that women do not have to return to work so soon after giving birth.
While the UK only offers six weeks of sufficient funds, countries who have topped the so-called league table offer a far better deal. Croatia, ranked number one, offer a remarkable six months of ‘decent’ pay while the likes of Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary offer four months of well-paid leave.
The TUC have also advised that parental leave ought to be shared and taken at small intervals, as opposed to all at once. It seems that for too long the UK have placed their priorities with business rather than welfare and the calls on the government to amend policy seem justified. In spite of this, there are many companies who do offer generous scheme for new mums, but Ros Bragg of Maternity Action deduces that the “vast majority” of women in the UK receive only statutory maternity pay, noting that “the UK stands out as having a relatively long period of maternity leave but a relatively low amount of pay.” It is unclear whether the UK government will take the overwhelming criticism into consideration, but only time will reveal if the UK will follow in the steps of Croatia by creating a reformed maternity pay system that benefits all involved.
