‘Pregnant women must be supported at work, not gained to fear for their livelihood,’ says Citizens Advice. Photograph: Jamie Grill/Getty/Tetra
Pregnant women and brand-new mothers are suffering increasing levels of unfair treatment at work, including cuts in hours, being place on zero-hrs contracts or also obliged from their job, a report has actually revealed.
Citizens Insight warned of a growing problem of brand-new and expectant mothers facing discrimination. The charity said there had been a 25% raise in people seeking work environment Insight on pregnancy and maternity troubles in the past year, along with a lot more compared to 22,000 visits to its website.
Evidence from Citizens Insight included pregnant women and brand-new mothers having their functioning hrs cut, being place on to zero-hrs contracts, being pressured to return to job early from maternity leave and, in some cases, forced from their jobs.
One woman turned to Citizens Insight for suggestions as soon as her employer reduce her weekly hrs by a lot more compared to half after she told them she was pregnant. Her boss claimed there was not sufficient job offered to sustain her on her previous hours, despite using brand-new staff at the very same time.
Related: Fifth of women harassed at job over pregnancy or flexible hours, report finds
Another woman contacted her employer to locate out why she had not received any kind of maternity pay, to be told they had ended her contract while she was on maternity leave.
The report is the current tip that pregnancy discrimination, which is illegal, is on the rise. In March, government-commissioned research warned that three-quarters of pregnant women and brand-new mothers experience discrimination at job and one in nine shed their task as a result. The study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (ECHR) suggests that discrimination has actually risen significantly because 2005, as soon as 45% of women said they had endured such discrimination.
The chief executive of Citizens Advice, Gillian Guy, said: “Pregnant women must be supported at work, not gained to fear for their livelihood. It is concerning that a lot more and a lot more brand-new and expectant mums are experiencing discrimination troubles at work.
“people along with a baby on the method will certainly have actually much on their minds already. The last thing they reason is a threat to their income or task security. All of employers must respect and uphold the rights of staff that are brand-new parents or expecting a baby.”
A government spokesman said: “Discrimination is unlawful and forever unacceptable. Attracting and retaining female ability is essential to economic growth and, also as being versus the law, it does not make company sense for employers to alienate and discriminate versus women in their workforce.
“We are determined to stand game All of workers and are taking action to tackle discrimination at job versus pregnant women and parents.”
The EHRC has actually previously called for a lot of reforms to provide pregnant women a lot more protection in the workplace, including more powerful actions to avoid employers asking in task interviews regarding a woman’s pregnancy or her intention to have actually children.
It likewise suggested ministers could explore the feasibility of a collective insurance scheme to suggestions employers from small and medium businesses offer enhanced pay and cover for maternity leave, as in Denmark.
The government did not accept the EHRC’s tip that employment tribunal fees could be reduced, yet it has actually committed to a number others recommendations, such as functioning along with businesses to boost employers’ awareness of their legal obligations.
