Nine months' paid maternity leave from April 2007

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

Having recently moved to the UK from Sweden I am astonished by people's view of and lack of interest in issues such as maternity leave. Comments like "no company in its right mind would hire women of child bearing age" only emphasizes the need of more focus on men taking their responsibility (and being given the chance to do this in form of equal rights to meternity/paternity leave). On TV the other night statistics were shown indicating that women of today were changing their mind on career and didn't want to work as much as in the previous 10 years i. e. choosing children over career. WHY is no one realising that they wouldn't have to make the choice if the men took on equal responsibility. The debate here is at a completely different level compared to Sweden... Unbelievable that UK, so much in the forefront in so many issues, can be so far behind in this area...

I am perhaps in a fortunate position of being responsible for HR and also being a mum. I can see benefits in this step for the parents, and am especially pleased to see the possibility of transfer of leave entitlement to fathers, who are largely neglected in this period.

However, (and its a big however), legislation is tripping itself up at the minute. For example, if a woman on maternity leave is temporarily replaced, and a contract issued to cover her period of absence, this contract remains in force even if the mother chooses to exercise her right to return to work at any time with 21 days notice. This makes it much harder for employers to provide adequate cover, and perhaps explains why many companies are reluctant to do just that.

Any changes in legislation should include for much more structured leave, with the balance more equal in employers / fathers and mothers favour!

This is another example of a rule made for perfectly reasonable criteria, suddenly alienating workers without children. It wasn't intended to do that, its just the effect.

As another example, if I wanted to work from home I cannot as I have no grounds on which the company would probably grant the request, whereas a co-worker with a young child would probably be entitled. The work done at home would be the same, indeed it could even be argued that I'd get through more with no children to distract me.

I am for the modernisation of workers rights, but its a pity those without children are being placed 'down the scale'?

Over the past couple of weeks the Sunday Times has had articles and letters (some very heated!) concerning maternity leave and how childless people, or people with grown up children, have to "carry the load" when female colleagues go off to have children. This arises because many companies, particularly the smaller ones, choose not to replace those on maternity leave and ask, persuade, or cajole others to cover for the absent ones. This latest move will not improve the situation one bit.

Interestingly, officials in the Equal Opportunities Commission have been quoted as saying that "no company in its right mind would hire women of child bearing age" and "this proposal will have the effect of making women less employable and therefore will be a retrograde step for equal opportunities".

The resentment is increasing (on both sides) and the only way out would appear to be an insistence that companies provide cover for those going on maternity leave. How well this will be accepted one has to wonder, but relying on goodwill is not sufficient any longer.