Sarah Green column

Apr 3 2007 By Sarah Green, The Journal

Any working mum having a baby from the beginning of this month will see her statutory maternity leave extended from six to nine months and will be able to keep in touch with her employer during her time off through the introduction of "keeping in touch" days.

Until now, women who worked for even a day during maternity leave have lost some statutory maternity pay. And many employers have been unsure about whether they can contact employees who are on maternity leave. The introduction of up to 10 "keeping in touch" days offers welcome clarity and will help ease new mothers' return to work.

It is absolutely right that both the employer and employee must agree to the mother working any keeping in touch days. This will allow both parties flexibility and a way of managing a return to work that suits them. It also means women can keep abreast of major changes at work, such as training or promotion opportunities. Many women will value this opportunity for ongoing communication with their employer.

A further three months' statutory maternity pay will be a welcome support for many new mothers. But the Government must provide real support for small employers struggling to manage and administer the long-term absence of employees on maternity leave. For many small firms this will prove a major challenge and will create a further administrative and training burden - both of which mean additional expense.

With the Government committed to increasing paid maternity leave to a year and to introducing Additional Paternity Leave of up to six months by 2010, this will become even more important. Whilst it is critical that we offer new parents support and choice, the cost of these policy decisions cannot be burdened on employers.

Responsibility for administering Statutory Maternity Pay lies with employers, but as the law becomes more complex and the administration increases, the Government should give firms the option of handing this back to the State. The CBI will continue to lobby on behalf of SMEs to ensure a fair deal.