Maternity Action has produced
a
briefing on the substantial cuts to maternity benefits and financial support for families announced in the Emergency Budget. We have updated our
benefits information to reflect the changes.
The Guardian recommends our website as providing 'lots of useful information'.
Maternity Action has raised unsatisfactory
health and safety protection for pregnant women at work with the Lord Young review of health and safety legislation.
Maternity Action has argued that vulnerable
migrant women should not be
charged for NHS maternity care in a response to the Department of Health consultation on entitlement to NHS care for foreign nationals.
We have moved offices and now have a new phone number and postal address.
EU Pregnant Workers'
Directive: tell Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills, and your MEPs to promote the rights of
pregnant women, new mothers and their families by
supporting the ammendments to the directive. Maternity Action has released
information sheets in Polish on rights at work for mothers, fathers and partners, and the new right to breastfeed in public places.
Maternity
Action has released a
briefing paper on the low level of awareness about the right to Maternity Allowance amongst migrant women. We have written to Government
asking for action.
Maternity Action welcomes the introduction of Additional Paternity Leave but asks why there
is no effective legal protection for mothers who continue breastfeeding when they return to work. See our
media release.
See our new information sheet on
entitlement to maternity care for women from abroad.
Maternity Action supports the
Women's Asylum Charter and its new campaign, 'Every Single Woman'. The campaign challenges destitution policies for
pregnant refused asylum seekers and other problems with the asylum process.
See the
toolkit for small businesses on managing pregnant women and new parents, now available on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website. Prepared
by Maternity Action, the toolkit provides checklists, model policies and detailed advice for employers
See our
new information sheet on
'Continuing breastfeeding on your return to work'.
Have you encountered difficulties in negotiating with your employer to breastfeed when you are working?
Help us to campaign for improved legislative protection for breastfeeding by
telling us your story.
In 2005, the Government gave a commitment to extend maternity and adoption pay to 52 weeks by April 2010.
In September 2009, they decided not to proceed with this. Maternity Action and NCT
wrote to the Prime Minister to express our concern.
Each year 30 000 women lose their jobs as a result of unlawful pregnancy discrimination
and the recession is making things worse. We have joined with other organisations to launch a
campaign to prevent pregnancy discrimination at work during the recession. Sign up!
