Men ‘missing out’ on paternity leave

Many new fathers are being refused paternity leave, because they have not given their employer enough notice, a report said.

The report, conducted by the Citizens Advice Bureau, found that many men did not known that they had to give 15 weeks notice – the same amount required for women taking maternity leave – in order to take their two weeks paternity leave.

The CAB criticised the notice period, calling it “disproportionate”, and said it should be reduced.

A branch of the CAB in Wales reported that there appeared to be a “widespread lack of awareness of the rules relating to notice.” The CAB cited a number of cases where men were denied paternity leave, including a man in Staffordshire who was denied leave because he only gave 13 weeks notice.

A man in Sussex, who had worked for his employer for 12 years, was also denied paternity leave after giving a month’s notice.

The CAB has called on the government to introduce better-paid, longer periods of paternity leave, as well as more choice for fathers over when they can take time off.

The report also criticised government plans to allow fathers to use some of their partner’s paid maternity leave as “well-intentioned, but fundamentally flawed”. It said that the measures would not benefit working fathers whose partner does not work and therefore does not get paid maternity leave It also argued that working mothers and fathers would not be able to take time off together and it would be too complex for many small employers to put into practice.

The proposals are included in a package of enhanced employment rights for working parents in the Work and Families Bill, which is due for its second reading in the Commons later this month.

Citizens Advice Chief Executive David Harker said: “The Government should abandon its well-intentioned but flawed plans on paternity leave and consider instead how it might best enhance the individual rights of working men to take time off work to be with and care for their children at a time of their choosing.“

Duncan Fisher, Chief Executive of Fathers Direct said: “It is a terrible shame that mothers and babies are missing out on having dad around at such a crucial time after the birth because the regulations require such an unnecessarily long period of notice for paternity leave. Families need dad at this time.”

The proposals are included in a package of enhanced employment rights for working parents in the Work and Families Bill, which is due for its second reading in the Commons later this month.

(KMcA/SP)