United Kingdom: creation of a legal right to paid leave for bereaved parents

From 6 April, any UK parent who loses a child under the age of 18 will be entitled to two weeks of leave. The Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Regulations, known as “Jack’s Law” in memory of a child who died in 2010 and whose mother has fought for it to be introduced, were adopted on 23 January. The new legal right grants any employee, from the first day of their employment, the right to two weeks of leave if they lose a child under the age of 18 or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. Bereaved parents will be able to take this leave in one or two blocks over a period of 56 weeks. Furthermore, employees that have worked for six straight months for a company and earn a weekly wage above £188 (€140.17) will also be entitled to Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay, paid at the statutory rate of £148.68 (€176.62) per week or 90% of average weekly earnings where this is lower. The Confederation of British Industry says: “Offering this flexibility to bereaved parents is something businesses absolutely welcome.” Up until now, UK employers have given workers an average of five days of paid leave after the death of a child. The UK government, which says the new regime is the most generous in the world, estimates that Jack’s Law will help 10,000 parents per year. In France, a deputy proposed in recent days to increase leave for bereaved parents from 5 to 12 days.