Mother Backs Bereavement Leave Campaign

A mother whose young son drowned in their garden pond has welcomed a campaign for a legal right to paid bereavement leave. Lucy Herd, who lost her 23-month old son Jack three years ago, welcomed the Change Bereavement Leave campaign, which wants an employment law change to allow workers paid time off work following the death of a loved one. A poll by the campaign of 1,500 adults shows that seven out of 10 would back a national guaranteed minimum, with two-thirds saying it was unfair that bereavement leave was unpaid. Miss Herd, from Cumbria, was outraged when she found that her partner could only take three days unpaid leave from work following the death of Jack. She said: “David Cameron acknowledged he was able to take two weeks off after the death of his own son, but sadly not all parents have sympathetic or understanding employers or can afford unpaid time off. We would like to see four weeks of paid bereavement leave for parents.” Labour MP Tom Harris has also backed the campaign, saying that many parents go back to work to early following the death of child because they can’t afford the time off. He said: “Most people are unaware that there is currently no right to bereavement leave for parents. This is an injustice that Parliament needs to address.” Our Employment team provides advice on the employment aspects of all major business decisions. For advice, contact a member of the team: call us on 08456 381381 or email employment@ibblaw.co.uk.