NEW MOTHERS AND EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION

Early day motion 377, tabled 7 September 2015 by Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party). Signed by 52 members.

That this House is concerned about the findings of recent Equality and Human Rights Commission research with over 3,200 new mothers that was carried out in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; understands that 11 per cent of the women interviewed reported having been dismissed, made compulsorily redundant where others in their workplace were not, or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their jobs; notes that if these findings are replicated across the population as a whole, this could mean that as many as 54,000 women are at risk of losing their jobs each year; recognises that this research also shows that many employers, across a range of industries, say they are firm supporters of female staff during and after their pregnancies and find it easy to comply with the law; and calls on the Government to ensure that all new mothers enjoy full and robust protection when returning to the workplace in the light of this research.

Signatures by party: Scottish National Party 35, Labour 10, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, DUP 1, Green 1, Labour/Co-operative 1, Liberal Democrat 1, Plaid Cymru 1.