Parental Bereavement (Pay and Leave) Bill introduced to Parliament 24 July 2017
For the first time, parents who are employed and have suffered the death of a child would receive statutory paid leave to grieve, under a new law being supported by the government .
Currently under the Employment Rights Act, employees have a day-one right to take a ‘reasonable’ amount of unpaid time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant, including making arrangements following the death of a dependant. What is “reasonable” depends on the circumstances but in practice the length of time off will be agreed between the employer and their employee. The Parental Bereavement (Pay and Leave) Bill will seek to ensure grieving parents in employment receive paid leave to grieve away from the workplace, delivering on the government’s pledge to “enhance rights and protections in the workplace”. “The loss of a child is a traumatic experience for any parent. For parents holding down a job at the same time as dealing with their grief it can be doubly stressful. We want parents to get the support they need at this deeply upsetting time that is why government is supporting this Private Members Bill which will introduce statutory paid bereavement leave for employed parents.” Over the summer, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will be working with employers, employee representatives and campaigners on behalf of working families to understand better the needs of bereaved parents and employers. Business Minister Margot James said:
Kevin Hollinrake MP introduced the Bill into Parliament and it is expected to have its second reading in the autumn.
Back to Contents
Statutory Maternity Pay: guidance updated 14 August 2017
The section 'Baby born in or before the QW' has been updated to help clarify the average weekly earnings in the relevant period.
Baby born in or before the QW
If the baby’s born in or before the QW, there are special rules to the 4 terms and conditions listed below.
The employee must:
give you medical evidence of the date the baby’s due have been continuously employed by you for 26 weeks have AWE high enough in the relevant period give you acceptable notice for start of SMP
Your employee should give you medical evidence (usually form MATB1 maternity certificate) of the date the baby was expected to be born as well as the actual date of birth. You can accept any document signed by a doctor or midwife as long as a date or expected date is provided. You can accept a birth certificate as evidence of the date of birth.
Your employee should give you the evidence within 21 days of the start of their SMP pay period or as soon as they can but no later than 13 weeks after the start of the SMP pay period.
If the baby’s born before or during the QW, the continuous employment rule is satisfied if they would have completed 26 weeks continuous employment with you had it not been for the baby’s early birth.
You must work out the AWE in the relevant period by using the birth date instead of the QW.
Further guidance can be found on GOV.UK - Statutory Maternity Pay: employee circumstances that affect payment
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Policy News Journal
cipp.org.uk
Page 373 of 516
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker