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UNI Commerce affiliate Usdaw says extending maternity leave for working mums is good news for sustaining growth in Britain’s booming retail sector.

The union rejects fears that extending maternity pay will ruin businesses pointing out that employers get at least 92% of the cost of statutory maternity pay funded by the government.

“The reality is that companies get most, if not all, of the costs of supporting a new mother paid for by the government,” says John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary. “Many small businesses who say they could go under because of this proposal get even more help with 100% of the costs being paid by the state plus an extra 5% on top to meet the cost of running the scheme.”

Better balance between work and family

Despite scare stories that the proposals will decimate businesses Usdaw says the extension of maternity leave to nine months will make sure its 340,000 members can get a better balance between their work and day to day family commitments.

Small business organisations say the cost of recruiting staff to cover maternity leave and the uncertainty of when staff will return could have a negative impact on their profitability.

Research by the Equal Opportunities Commission shows that on average only 3% of any workforce will be on maternity leave during the year but properly managed pregnancy and maternity leave can deliver clear benefits to staff and employers.

“Women who are properly supported before and during maternity leave say they feel motivated to go back to work and stay there,” John Hannett says. “In a sector with labour shortages and high staff turnover companies who properly manage maternity provisions will see the benefits in staff loyalty and retention.”

“The reality is that 71% of employers know providing decent maternity cover has massive benefits in making sure highly trained employees return to work. In the modern retail world it is women who have children who are vital in making sure our retail outlets continue to be the best in the world so companies need to deal with this issue.”

John Hannett delighted that dads get the right to take some of the new leave

The union has launched a national Parents and Carers campaign to deliver better rights for retail workers who look after children or dependant relatives.

“We’re delighted that new dads will now have the right to take some of their partner’s leave,” John Hannett says. “Our members who have just become dads say the two weeks paid leave they are entitled to just isn’t enough and they’d love to be at home longer.”

“The extension of flexible working to include all 4.5 million parents with children under 17 and to carers is a massive step forward in making sure family friendly policies actually work. We know that employers being flexible is crucial in making sure employees feel valued and reducing absenteeism which costs British industry over a billion pounds every year.”