11 March 2025
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP has proposed a increase in Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) to reflect the real living wage.
Ms Hanna has tabled an amendment to Westminster’s Employment Rights Bill.
The legislation, which returns to the Commons on Tuesday, does away with Zero Hours Contracts, ‘fire and rehire’ and Conservative-era restrictions on Trade Unions. The bill also improves family leave rights and protections against harassment.
South Belfast and Mid Down MP Ms Hanna said:
“This bill presents an opportunity to reform practices and principals within our economy and workplaces. We believe that we must break down every barrier to participation in the economy, particularly the gender and family imbalance-that is why we have tabled an amendment to this bill calling for Statutory Maternity Pay to reflect the real living wage.
“The SDLP have long been calling for the reform of childcare support for families but before families even get to that point they are experiencing real hardship from the impact of current statutory maternity pay policy in the UK. SMP in the UK is currently one of the lowest across OECD countries. Around three quarters of new mums here worry about their finances, 62% are forced to borrow money from family or resort to credit cards to survive and over half are forced to return to work earlier than they would like. All new mothers should be afforded time to recover and bond with their child after birth free of financial hardship."
Alongside this, the SDLP have signed an amendment on the introduction of paid carers leave with exploration of how this can best be funded and backed amendments around protection of workers from sexual harassment, domestic violence and pregnancy loss.
Ms Hanna continued:
“This is the biggest shake up of employment practices in a generation, most of which are welcome, many of which are long overdue and some which need to go further. It has to be acknowledged though, that such wide ranging change takes time and resource to navigate through and I urge the government to put in place measures and support for small and medium sized businesses as they adapt to the changing landscape so that they are not negatively impacted and can thrive.
"We want to build a world-leading balanced and equitable economy that works for everyone no matter background, circumstance or geography. This Westminster Bill is only partially applicable to Northern Ireland. We have our own issues and have been held back for far too long by a scarcity of ambition in our devolved government on these issues. The UK Government within one hundred days of power brought forward their employment rights bill. We now need to see the Executive make similar progress in the Assembly to guarantee that rights here will not fall behind those enjoyed by workers in Britain."