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MATERNITY PROVISION
Page 29
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Minimum maternity leave in the EU should be extended from 14 to 20 weeks and should be fully paid, argue MEPs in the Women's Rights Committee. Al present, women are entitled to 39 weeks of pay during maternity leave in the UK, but employers need only pay Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). This must be 90% of average weekly earnings (AWE) for the first six weeks, and either E123.06 or 90% of AWE — whichever is the lower — for the remaining 33 weeks.
Employers are able to recover some or all of SMP from HM Revenue & Customs, depending on the size of the company's annual National Insurance contributions.
Meeting in Brussels last month, the Women's Rights Committee also supported new employment rights for women that would ban dismissal from the beginning of a pregnancy until six months after the end of maternity leave. It added that pregnant workers should not have to work nights or overtime for 10 weeks prior to childbirth. This would apply for the remainder of the pregnancy if the mother or unborn child was unwell and during the entire period of breasffeeding.