‘Paternity leave is broken, but now we have a chance to fix it’

I recently welcomed my second son into the world, and I couldn’t be happier.

Whether it was the joy that came with his first smile or the exhaustion that came with his first sleepless night, it’s been a lifechanging experience.

Trying to balance caring for a newborn and a toddler is not without challenges, but through all the ups and downs, my partner and I have been able to support each other, share the load and bond with our son during the precious early moments of his life.

We had this privilege because I had access to a good paternity leave offer, but for too many dads and co-parents across the UK, this isn’t the case.

Paternity leave among the ‘least generous’

At just two weeks, our paternity leave offer is one of the shortest in Europe, and one of the least generous. New dads get 90% of their earnings or £187.78 per week, whichever is lower. If you’re self-employed, you get nothing.

The TUC has found that one in five fathers did not take any time off after their child was born, with half of families struggling for money when fathers did go on paternity leave.

For dads, they lose precious time with their child. For mums, they are left to shoulder an unequal caring responsibility, with all the ramifications this has for their wellbeing and career.

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For children, they lose out on time with a parent at a vital developmental stage in their life.

And for the economy, our poor paternity offer entrenches the gender employment gap- a failure on equality, but also on growth given that closing this gap could increase the UK’s economic output by £23bn.

The current system of shared parental leave offers no solutions to this problem. It’s too complicated, has incredibly low take up, and does not achieve what it set out to do.

Working mums are let down too, with the UK near the bottom of the table in Europe for decently paid maternity leave. Statutory Maternity Pay is paid for only 39 weeks.

For the first six weeks, you get 90% of your average pay. After that it’s £187.18 per week, or 90% of your average earnings if that is lower, for the next 33 weeks.

So even though British women are entitled to a full 52 weeks of leave, only 39 of those weeks are paid – meaning many feel forced to return to work early with concerns about their finance.

Campaigning for a better deal

According to Maternity Action, more than half of mothers are also pushed into debt during or shortly after their pregnancy.

The system is broken and if we want an economy that serves working families, we must fix it.

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That’s why trade unions are calling for statutory maternity pay to be raised and it’s why, working with the unions, Dad Shift and my Labour colleagues, I’m campaigning for improved paternity leave.

My Union Usdaw has given a high priority to negotiating contractual paternity pay, most notably in Tesco where new fathers can take six weeks paternity leave at full pay.

By working with progressive employers such as Tesco, the number of Usdaw members able to take more than the statutory 2 weeks paternity leave has risen to over 50%.

Progress is being made under this Labour government. Labour’s Employment Rights Bill will make maternity and paternity leave a right from the very first day you start a job, and the government has also just held a consultation on what more can be done to improve parental leave as part of its Plan to Make Work Pay.

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‘Parental leave is broken’

Every partner, whatever their background, should be supported to be the best parent they can be. This will never happen when new parents must choose between paying bills and paternity leave.

We need a more generous offer that supports equality among partners, is substantial in the time it gives, and is affordable for families to take.

This must be part of a broader package that helps families from pregnancy through to the child becoming an adult. That’s why it’s so important that we deliver the New Deal for Working People in full.

Parental leave is broken – but Labour’s review gives us an exciting opportunity to fix it.

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