Three family related Employment Bills passed into law

Three Government supported Employment Bills have recently passed into law:

The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act allows eligible employed parents up to 12 weeks of paid leave if their new-born baby is admitted to neonatal care. This is in addition to other leave entitlements such as maternity and paternity leave. However, due to the need for further implementing legislation, and a lead in time, the new leave and pay is not anticipated to be in place before April 2025.

The Carer’s Leave Act creates a new statutory entitlement to unpaid leave for employees who are caring for a dependant with a need for long-term care. There is as yet no confirmed date for implementation, but this is not expected before April 2024.

The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act extends existing redundancy protections whilst on Maternity Leave, Adoption Leave or Shared Parental Leave to also cover pregnancy and a period of time after a new parent has returned to work – expected to be 6 months. These protections require the new parent to be offered a suitable alternative role if their job role becomes redundant (if one is available), with a consequent automatic unfair dismissal if the employer fails to do so. This is effect gives them priority over other staff if there are fewer alternative roles available than employees being made redundant.

Again, further legislation is required to implement the powers in the Act. We are told to expect this legislation “in due course” so watch this space.

Photo by Alex Bodini on Unsplash