Parents who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy will be entitled to bereavement leave.
Under an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, parents will have the right to take “at least” a week off work to grieve, although the exact length will be open to consultation.
Currently, bereavement leave is only available to parents who lose an unborn child after 24 weeks of pregnancy. According to pregnancy charity Tommy’s, most miscarriages take place in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
“No one who is going through the heartbreak of pregnancy loss should have to go back to work before they are ready,” said deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who said the amendment would give “people time away from work to grieve”.
Sarah Owen, chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, tabled the amendment.
In March, employment rights minister Justin Madders confirmed that proposed amendments to miscarriage and bereavement leave would be progressed as the Bill made its way through parliament.
Philip Richardson, partner and head of employment law at Stephensons, said: “This is a long-overdue step forward in recognising the profound emotional toll of early pregnancy loss. The current legal framework, which only grants bereavement leave after 24 weeks, does not reflect the grief and sense of loss that many parents experience much earlier in pregnancy.
“By extending this right, the government is sending a clear message about the importance of empathy and support in the workplace. This change will also bring much-needed clarity for employers, enabling them to support their staff in a more consistent, fair, and legally sound way.”
Last week, the government published an implementation roadmap for the Employment Rights Bill, revealing an initial timetable for changes to employment law. The bill is currently at report stage and is unlikely to receive Royal Assent until at least the autumn.
