A Bill has been published that will entitle parents who suffer the death of a child to take paid bereavement leave. Currently, employees only have a right to take a “reasonable” amount of unpaid time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependent (which could include making arrangements after the death of a child).
The Parental Bereavement (Pay and Leave) Bill will entitle all employees, regardless of their service length, to two weeks’ paid leave after the death of a child under the age of 18 (or in full time education).
The Bill states that grieving parents must be paid no less than 90% of their average weekly earnings or £139.58 per week, whichever is lesser. Additionally, those who have 26 weeks’ continuous service will also benefit from statutory bereavement pay.
The bill will receive a second reading in Parliament on the 20 October 2017, with the aim of it becoming law in 2020. We will keep you informed of further developments.