Proposal to extend redundancy protections for pregnant employees and new parents
On 21 October 2022, the government announced that it was backing the Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Bill. The Bill recently completed its passage through the House of Commons and had its first reading in the House of Lords on 6 February 2023. Whilst the timeline for the Bill to become law is not yet known, it is expected for 2023.
The purpose of the bill is to extend current redundancy protection, covering maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, to give employees who have just returned from work after parental leave 6 additional months of redundancy protection (in addition to the current 12 months from the date the woman tells her employer she is pregnant). This is a significant step forward for working parents, although some have queried whether it goes far enough? Protected employees can still be selected for redundancy but will have priority over other employees for any suitable alternative vacancies.
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