Stringent eligibility rules block access for more than 200,000, TUC warns
Around 40 per cent of new fathers won’t qualify for new rights to shared parental leave because of strict rules on eligibility and low statutory pay, TUC analysis shows.
From April, eligible parents will be able to take up to 50 weeks of shared parental leave and 37 weeks of shared parental pay.
However the TUC said two-fifths of working dads with a child under one would not qualify, because their partner is not in paid work.
To qualify for statutory maternity leave, mothers have to work under an employment contract, which means mothers who don’t have a job, whether employed or self-employed, don’t have the right to maternity pay they can share.
According to research from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), 83 per cent of those who are planning to become parents would consider taking shared parental leave
But the TUC said the new scheme would have very little impact because of the rules around eligibility and low statutory pay.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Shared parental leave is a welcome move but just a small step towards getting dads more involved in their children’s upbringing.
“The UK is still decades behind other European countries when it comes to rights and financial support for new fathers,” she added.
She said the UK should look to countries such as Denmark, Norway and Portugal, where fathers can take paternity leave at 100 per cent of their normal earnings.
“If politicians are serious about men playing a more active role after their child is born they must increase statutory paternity pay and look at introducing some father-only leave that isn’t dependant on their partner being in work,” O’Grady said.
Tamara Sanghvi, director at family-friendly benefits company, My Family Care said take-up of shared parental leave would vary hugely company to company, and sector to sector.
"Obviously one of the biggest issues likely to affect take-up is going to be how well paid shared parental leave will be. From our experiences, and talking to employers about their plans, the approach they're taking is dependent on a number of factors, not least the affordability of enhancing paid leave.
“Employers have had to work very hard to get to grips with all the implications for their organisation, as these can vary massively depending on their employee demographics and the sector they operate in for example,” she said.
“Many companies in sectors where the battle for talent is most fierce - technology, banking and legal - see actively supporting and investing in choice over parental leave as a means to increase retention for both male and female employees. However, there are also cultural issues at play - while aiding in female career progression - employers will have to work hard to convince fathers that taking leave is not detrimental to their career progression,” she added.