Employment Minister Chris Grayling visited Brussels this month to attend a meeting on the Pregnant Workers Directive.
At the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) gathering, during which the Hungarian Presidency gave an update on the Directive, Grayling reiterated UK opposition to the proposals which have been put forward by MEPs. The Government is concerned that measures for 20 weeks of maternity leave at full pay will result in considerable costs to Member States when they can least afford it. Ministers have also said that they believe the proposals to be "socially regressive".
Such views have been backed by Employment Relations Minister, Edward Davey, who said, "As I have repeatedly made clear, what MEPs have tabled is not the right solution. Minimum standards are important but it should be down to the individual Member States to adopt their own model - not Europe to dictate this. We have recently launched our own consultation that looks at introducing a fully-flexible and family-friendly solution to parental leave that is tailored to the UK. Simply saying 20 weeks at full pay, in a one-size fits all format, is not the way forward. I am sure that other Member States agree with us here."
The proposals are currently with EPSCO so the Ministers of the 27 EU Member States can consider their position. At the EPSCO meeting last December, the UK joined the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Sweden in signing a formal minutes statement which expressed concerns over the plans.
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