Maternity leave sharing welcome - GMB

GMB have welcomed the announcement on the planned sharing of maternity leave between parents.

Parents will be able to share maternity leave and the Government is pressing ahead in April with measures drawn up by the previous Labour administration to allow fathers to take up any remaining unpaid maternity leave if mothers go back to work early, up to a maximum of six months.

Kamaljeet Jandu, GMB Equality and Inclusion National Officer said: "Given that more and more men are engaged in childcare duties and those men that want to have a greater and longer role in child rearing responsibilities but cannot afford to, will be encouraged by this announcement. This is a 'win win' situation because this scheme would also allow mothers to return to work earlier without the fear of jeopardising their careers or receiving unequal pay.

“Potentially, this is a winner for businesses, as they will be able to retain experienced workers, mothers and fathers, who may otherwise have left their employment to raise children, saving businesses the cost of recruiting and training a replacement.

“GMB welcomes this scheme and are glad that the Coalition Government has taken this forward this initiative from the previous administration."