Telford MP calls for bereavement leave law change
Telford MP David Wright has called for the law to be changed to allow statutory employment leave for bereaved parents.
Mr Wright has signed an Early Day Motion in Parliament calling for a change to the 1996 Employment Rights Act.
Currently, it is at the discretion of an employer as to whether an employee can take any time off in the event of the death of a child with many employers forcing workers to take this time as annual leave.
David Wright MP said:
“The death of a child is something no parent should have to face but, when this does happen, I believe workers should be entitled to some leave to at least begin the process of grieving.
“I recognise that most employers look on situations such as this with a great deal of sympathy and changing the law would not alter that. However, what it would do is force those unscrupulous employers to give consideration to their workers at a time of tragedy. There shouldn’t be a need for legislation such as this as one would hope all managers would care about their employees, but unfortunately this is not always the case.”
