‘Desperately needed and long overdue.'

A group of MPs are calling for extended paid bereavement leave to those who suffer a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.

Under the current law, employees are only eligible for statutory parental bereavement leave and pay if they experience a loss after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

But the MPs argue that a two-week paid leave period should be offered to those who suffer losing their baby before this threshold, describing the inadequacy of sick leave as an “inappropriate” form of support for grieving couples.

The proposed changes would include leave for those who experience a miscarriage, molar pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) embryo transfer loss, and terminations for medical reasons.

According to a report by the cross-party Women and Equalities Committee, more than one in five pregnancies end before 24 weeks, and around 20 percent of women experience a baby loss.

The Committee says it will put forward the proposal as an amendment to the government’s Employment Rights Bill. Introduced in October 2024, the Bill strengthens workers’ rights, covering everything from protection from redundancy to flexible working requests.

Labour MP and Committee chair Sarah Owen shared her own experience of a miscarriage. She explained how she was shocked to miscarry at work during her first pregnancy and had to take sick leave, despite feeling “grief-stricken, not sick.”

She noted how the Committee’s report found many private-sector employers, plus the NHS, the largest public-sector employer of women, are successfully offering paid bereavement leave for those who miscarry, but how the provision is not universal.

“The case for a minimum standard in law is overwhelming. A period of paid leave should be available to all women and partners who experience a pre-24-week pregnancy loss.

“It’s time to include bereavement leave for workers who miscarry in new employment rights laws,” Owen said.

GMB Union has long championed for greater rights for those who experience pregnancy loss. The union’s Pregnancy Loss Charter stipulates employers should provide a minimum of one month’s paid leave for pregnant person and two weeks for partners or prospective co-parents. It also calls for a commitment acknowledging that pregnancy loss impacts workers of all genders, the charter extends its principles to partners and co-parents, promoting a culture of understanding and compassion.

GMB head of industrial relations Rhea Wolfson said the proposed changes are “desperately needed and long overdue.”

“Early pregnancy loss is devastating and the people involved cannot be expected to immediately go back to work as normal.

“The new law, alongside GMB’s ground-breaking charter, would help workplaces be more compassionate, supportive places for those who go through the trauma of early pregnancy loss,” said Wolfson.

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