News

8th September 2004

Pregnant women continue to risk being sacked

Pregnant women will continue to get a raw deal at work and even face the sack in some cases, unless the Government acts to give more support to families and employers and improve awareness of the law, according to the Equal Opportunities Commission.

In a statement released to coincide with National Pregnancy Week, Tip of the Iceberg, the interim report of the EOC's investigation into discrimination against pregnant women at work, looks at how the responsibilities and costs of pregnancy, as well as the benefits, are currently shared between employers, the state and individual women and their families.

Julie Mellor, spokesperson for the EOC, said, "Every year around a thousand women in England and Wales go so far as to take legal action claiming they were sacked because they were pregnant. Others face pay cuts, demotion, hostile treatment or are made to work in an unsafe environment.

"Some employers knowingly flout the law but many simply don't know what their responsibilities are or what help with costs is already available from the Government."

Women make up nearly half of the workforce and the EOC Pregnant and Productive investigation was launched last year to find out the scale of pregnancy discrimination, the impact of discrimination on families, employers and society, and what can be done to make pregnancy a more positive experience in the workplace.

Figures from USDAW, one of Britain's largest trade unions, suggest that less than one in three pregnant women receive a health and safety risk assessment from their employer, even though this is a statutory requirement.

One in five women who returned to work for the same employer after maternity leave returned to a lower grade or level of job and more than one third of employers felt that pregnancy was "an undue cost burden on the organisation". Some employers are unaware of their right to reclaim Statutory Maternity Pay.

The report's proposals for change are designed to ensure the law is better understood and communicated, and that families and employers get more support.

Unlawful discrimination cost employers £4.3 million pounds last year, with 376 cases heard in total.

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