Review of parental leave must consider the self-employed and pensions, says Prospect

The government’s review of parental leave must also consider how to better support self-employed workers and the effect  of taking any leave on pensions, says Prospect.

The full review will look at all types of leave, including maternity, paternity and shared parental leave, and how to modernise the system to make fairer and easier to use.

Commenting on the review, Mike Clancy, Prospect General Secretary, said:

“Parental leave is a cornerstone of our rights at work and the news that the government is looking to upgrade it will be welcomed by workers across the country.

“Getting this right is vital if we want to address deep structural issues in our society, like the Gender Pay Gap, and an essential step in giving children the best possible start in life.

“The review must also consider how to better support self-employed workers – who are critical to the economy but do not currently benefit from existing parental leave and pay entitlements. If this review is to truly help create a modern system fit for the Britain of today, it must reflect the needs of all types of workers.

“It’s also important that the government considers how pensions are accrued during maternity and paternity leave as part of the review, to ensure that pension inequality can be stopped at source.”

More information on the Parental Leave Review can be found here.