Mother who suffered three miscarriages demands ‘life-changing’ paid leave…

21 October 2024, 07:16

A mother who suffered three miscarriages has called on the Government to include paid miscarriage leave in the Work Rights Bill.

Anna Malnutt, 33, lost three pregnancies in 2018 and quickly returned to work after each one.

Speaking about her miscarriages, she said: “I was lonely and scared. For us, we lost a child and all three of us were our children. They will always be our children whom we never met.”

The mum-of-two, who lives in Rochdale, now wishes she had taken more time to recover and is demanding paid leave for her miscarriage, saying it would “change her life”.

Although her then-boss was supportive, she feels that setting rules about what employees are entitled to would have meant she would have taken time off to care for herself.

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But Anna also wants leave to be introduced for partners or co-parents – her husband felt he could not miss work during his probationary period.

She said: “He took me to hospital, then went to an appointment and then came back and picked me up later.

“And again, looking back, I understand that this was the stupidest thing. Why would you do this? What made you think this was a good idea?

“What made you think that someone was going to scold you for going to support your wife who had a miscarriage?” It’s crazy, but there’s no direction, no guidance.”

Politicians will debate the Labor Rights Bill in Parliament on Monday. It includes measures to ban zero-hours contracts, establish a new bereavement leave entitlement and improve job security for pregnant women.

As part of the new legislation, campaigners are now calling for workers who have a miscarriage to be given two weeks’ paid leave, and for partners or co-parents to be entitled to a week.

This will close a gap in UK law as there is currently no statutory leave for employees who lose a child during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

A Sunderland baby bereavement charity has warned the Government that if it does not act it could be a missed opportunity.

4Louis offers its employees at least four weeks of paid leave in the event of a miscarriage.

CEO Bob McGarrell said: “This should be accessible to everyone and it shouldn’t be a lottery for what company you work for and who supports you. If there was a minimum, then everyone would get this opportunity.

Speaking about the Employment Rights Bill, he added: “I don’t think we should miss this opportunity because we don’t differentiate between stages of pregnancy.

“So families are still dealing with the loss, so we need to support them through that.”

A Department for Business and Trade spokesman said: “Losing a child at any stage is incredibly difficult and we know many employers are already showing compassion and understanding in these circumstances.

“Our Work Rights Bill will create a new bereavement leave right, make paternity leave a first right, and strengthen protections for pregnant women and new mothers returning to work.”