- Conference
- 2003 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 24 February 2003
- Decision
- Carried
Under the current legislation, a woman giving birth to a premature baby that requires hospitalisation finds she has the same amount of maternity leave as the mother of a baby that can go home.
Conference recognises the additional stress on mothers and their families trying to cope with babies who have yet to come home. This can put the mother under extreme pressure when faced with returning to work with a baby either still in hospital or just returned home. Bonding and routines can be made more difficult and leaving a newborn baby with difficulties can be emotionally difficult and there are not the carers available who will take the risk of looking after such a baby due to the high risk.
Conference asks that the National Executive Council requests the Affiliated Political Fund Committee to lobby the Government for a change to the maternity leave and pay legislation, to make an addendum to the statutory arrangements. The purpose being to allow mothers to nurse their babies once they leave hospital and for this to be the date from which the maternity leave starts officially. The time between the birth and return home should be treated as paid compassionate leave.
Conference asks the National Executive Council to obtain information from the National Health Service and other relevant medical sources, to establish the average annual number of premature births that require hospitalisation for more than three days and where possible establish the average length of stay in hospital by premature babies.
Conference requests the National Executive Council to seek to work with the Affiliated Political Fund Committee to lobby the Government to make the changes for premature babies’ working mothers using the research to establish the facts to base the relative direct cost to employers and to promote the retention and recruitment benefits to employers of such a scheme.