Call for statutory employee bereavement

A charity is calling on the Government to introduce two weeks statutory paid bereavement leave for all employees.

Bereavement charity Sue Ryder is asking for new legislation to provide paid leave after the death of a close relative or partner.

Under current legislation, statutory bereavement pay is only available to eligible parents if their children die before they turn 18, or if a baby is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Employees have the right to "reasonable" time off if a dependent dies, including a partner or parent, but there is no legal right for this leave to be paid.

The charity said introducing two weeks of paid leave would help alleviate some of the stress people may feel after a bereavement and help those in lowincome jobs.

The charity say research has suggested that employee grief costs the UK economy £23bn a year and that, while paid bereavement leave may have short-term initial costs, it would result in longterm savings.

Chief executive at Sue Ryder, Heidi Travis, said: "For many people, grief can be debilitating and additional stressors, such as work, can feel overwhelming.

“We are calling on the Government to introduce two weeks statutory paid bereavement leave when a person is grieving the loss of any close relative or partner.

"This will allow people a crucial period of time to start processing their grief.

"Not only would this improve how, as a society, we approach an issue, but it would also address the financial impacts of unresolved grief, and its cost to the economy."