New mums ‘forced to quit jobs’

THE Government is being urged to conduct a “radical rethink” of legal protections for pregnant women and new mothers to stop many losing their jobs.

The Maternity Alliance said one in 20 new mothers will be made redundant during pregnancy, while on maternity leave or shortly after returning to work. Rosalind Bragg, the charity’s Director of Maternity Action, said some of redundancies were discriminatory, and many were “completely unfair.”

She added: “Women are being forced out of their jobs by redundancies which are not genuine and by discriminatory selection processes.

“Women who have challenged bad practice by their employers are at particular risk.

“We are calling for the UK to adopt the German model of redundancy protection for new mothers.

“Women should not be made redundant, except in limited circumstances, from notification of their pregnancy through to six months after return to work.”