New TUC and Maternity Action guide

In May 2019, the TUC and campaign group Maternity Action warned that employers are not doing enough to protect pregnant women at work and published new guidance for union reps: Pregnancy, breastfeeding and health and safety — A guide for workplace reps. It says many employers either do not know what they should be doing or ignore their legal responsibilities.

It outlines the potential risks that can affect new and expectant mothers and their babies, the law and what employers should do, and provides examples of practical measures employers can take. It includes a safety reps’ checklist and urges reps to challenge employers: “Where an employer claims that there are risks that cannot be removed once they are told that a woman is pregnant and instead say they have to move or suspend the worker, unions should always be concerned,” it says. “If the employer states that a woman is working in conditions which may be hazardous once she notifies them that she is pregnant, then the conditions were just as dangerous before the employer was notified.”

It argues that: “There are very few hazards which cannot be controlled to ensure that all pregnant women are safe, not just those who have notified their employer. For this reason, unions should seek to ensure that all potential risks are controlled for all women workers of childbearing age.”