Self-employed employees make pressing paternity depart plea to MPs | EUROtoday

Construction employees are set to descend on Westminster, armed with a provocative message for MPs: “this lasts longer than our paternity leave.”

This uncommon protest goals to spotlight the shortage of statutory paternity depart for self-employed fathers within the UK. Tradesmen from throughout the nation will distribute condoms emblazoned with the stark slogan to attract consideration to their trigger.

Currently, self-employed fathers will not be entitled to any paternity depart or pay. In distinction, employed mother and father are entitled to 2 weeks’ depart, paid at both £187.18 per week or 90 per cent of their common weekly earnings, whichever is decrease.

An estimated one in three fathers working in building didn’t take day off when their final youngster was born, with many citing monetary price as a barrier, in keeping with a ballot by On The Tools.

The marketing campaign group, alongside The Dad Shift, are urgent the Government to introduce paternity pay for many who are self-employed.

Alistair Strathern, who co-chairs the Labour Group for Men and Boys, backed the calls to shut the loophole.

“It’s an absolute joke that self-employed dads get less time off to get to know their little one than it took to conceive them,” the MP for Hitchin added.

Campaigners estimate it would price between £13.6 million and £37.7 million every year to increase paternity depart to self-employed fathers, relying on take-up.

Amanda Martin, who co-chairs the Labour Group for Men and Boys and is the MP for Portsmouth North, stated: “Self-employed tradesmen build our homes, fix our heating and keep our lights on. We should be able to offer them the basic dignity of being able to welcome their child into the world without facing financial ruin.”

George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift, stated: “Your average tradesman can build a crib in less than the time they get off to bond with the baby that’ll sleep in it.

“It’s unacceptable that working blokes are shafted when their babies arrive, left totally unsupported in one of the most important and challenging times of their lives. It’s time for Labour to fix this.”

Lee Wilcox, chief government of On The Tools, stated: “This huge hole in our nation’s paternity leave system needs filling, fast. Too many self-employed tradesmen can’t afford to take even one day off when their baby arrives.

“Dads in the trades, like every new parent, want to show up for those precious first few weeks for their partner and new baby without being left out of pocket for doing so.”

Self-employed moms are entitled to a maternity allowance for as much as 39 weeks.