Why is this important?
Rates of maternity pay are very low. Many women who responded to the NEU’s maternity survey shared their experience of feeling that they had no choice but to cut their maternity leave short and return to work because the inadequate levels of maternity pay meant they could not afford to cover everyday expenses. Teachers and support staff deserve better.
The NEU maternity leave and pay resources have been developed to enable members and reps to work together to protect and improve the rights of pregnant women and new mothers in schools and colleges. Our aim is for all teachers and support staff to be valued and supported at work, and for the sector to welcome, accommodate and promote opportunities for new mothers. NEU reps are central to this role.
Supporting women taking maternity leave
❱ Download and display the NEU Maternity leave and pay poster.
❱ Make your NEU meetings accessible, consider hybrid meetings to allow pregnant women and new mothers to join from home; for face-to-face meetings, make sure that the venue is suitable for pregnant women, new mothers and babies or that there is there is a suitable private, clean space for women to rest or breastfeed.
❱ When a member discloses to you that she is planning to take maternity leave, ask her what support she needs, share links to the NEU Maternity leave and pay resources at neu.org.uk/ maternity, direct her to your employer’s maternity leave and pay policy and encourage her to keep in touch with you.
❱ Keep her information confidential until she says she’s willing to share her plans more widely.
❱ Be aware that many Black and Asian women will not be receiving appropriate individualised or culturally sensitive maternity care outside of work. This can impact on their physical and mental health at work or during maternity leave. Seek further advice if a member is not receiving appropriate support from her employer.
❱ Check with members who are about to start maternity leave whether and how they would like to keep in touch about union matters and include them in your NEU communications as appropriate.
❱ Remind members to contact the NEU membership team to inform them of their maternity leave dates and benefit from a pause in their membership subscription.
❱ Support your members in securing:
- adjustments to appraisal objectives if your employer links pay progression to performance
- confirmation of their chosen maternity leave dates
- a forecast of maternity pay they can expect to receive
- the receipt of all pay rises, pay progression and increments that new mothers would have received had they not been on maternity leave
- confirmation that teaching staff taking or returning from maternity leave will continue to progress on the pay range, whether this is the main pay range or the upper pay range
- an appeal in the event that a member is denied pay progression
- arrangements for an individual risk assessment if a new mother is returning within six months of giving birth or if she will be breastfeeding her baby when she returns to work
- the retention of full occupational maternity pay if a new mother is not able to return to work after maternity leave. Seek advice as her rights will depend on the wording of the maternity policy and her circumstances, for example if she can’t return to work because her flexible working needs have not been accommodated.
❱ Familiarise yourself with our evolving resources on returning to work and flexible working.
❱ Welcome your members back to work – a positive reception can make the world of difference.
Adopting the NEU model policy
❱ Read the NEU resource pack – Maternity leave and pay – and discuss it with your union colleagues.
❱ Check your school/college maternity scheme and discuss what needs to be improved.
❱ Call a union meeting and include the NEU model policy on the agenda.
❱ Share the policy in advance and be prepared to summarise it in the meeting.
❱ Invite but don’t pressure women who have taken maternity leave to share their knowledge and experience.
❱ Involve members in the development of the policy – including women on maternity leave and recent returners.
❱ Discuss at an NEU meeting what support is available at work and how this compares to the NEU model policy.
❱ Ask members to vote on taking it forward to the senior leadership team (SLT).
❱ Talk to workplace reps from other unions (if applicable) and ask them to support the negotiation.
❱ Read our checklist for leaders on maternity leave and pay – and give a copy to your head or principal.
❱ Arrange a meeting with your SLT, share the model policy and ask them to be prepared to discuss its implementation. Use our sample letter to heads.
❱ Before you go in, make a plan. Most of our demands are ensuring existing maternity rights are respected in your workplace. How will the SLT respond and how will you deal with that?
❱ Press the head teacher/principal to adopt the NEU model policy.
❱ If the SLT agree to implement the policy, agree a date on which it will be reviewed.
❱ If the SLT will not agree, take this back to your members. Gauge how widely felt and deeply felt this issue is and contact your branch secretary to ask for advice and support if you need it.
❱ Keep pushing for implementation through a workplace campaign. Maintain a dialogue with your employer and the union group. Find out what the barriers are and how you will get past them – this could be a petition or some other form of collective solidarity.
❱ Include your membership group at every stage of the process; keep them informed of the negotiations and encourage their input to approve changes so that everyone is fairly represented.
❱ Remind your employer of the NEU checklist for leaders
❱ Monitor with members how the agreed maternity leave and pay policy is supporting pregnant women and new mothers, and whether there are any disparities, for example on grounds of race, disability or sexual orientation.
❱ Share your success with [email protected], inform your branch that agreement has been reached and send a copy of the agreed policy to [email protected]