Posted Date: 21st March 2024
Pregnancy and maternity are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. Government research, which have resulted in the new regulations, shows that 77% of new mothers have reported possible discriminatory and negative behaviours from their employers during pregnancy or after maternity leave.
As a result, new or expectant parents will soon be given enhanced redundancy protections.
From 6th April 2024, the Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023 will come into force. These new regulations will extend the ‘protected period’ so that it applies to the following employees during a redundancy situation:
- pregnant employees, from the point they inform the employer that they are pregnant
- employees returning from maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave, until 18 months after the expected week of childbirth, date of the child's birth, or date of the adoption placement
During the protected period, employees have the right to be offered suitable alternative employment in a redundancy situation.
For any support with maternity or redundancy procedures, please contact us.
Other family-friendly regulations and amendments will also come into effect on 6th April 2024, including carer’s leave, the right to make flexible working requests from day one and changes to statutory paternity leave.