header-logo header-logo

A shared responsibility: compare & contrast

25 July 2019 / Shane Crawford
Issue: 7850 / Categories: Features , Employment , Discrimination
printer mail-detail

Do low rates of statutory pay for shared parental leave discriminate against the non-birthing partner? Shane Crawford analyses the arguments

  • The Court of Appeal has made clear that the non-birthing partner of a mother who wishes to take shared parental leave is not being discriminated against because of his sex directly or indirectly.

The Court of Appeal has provided some clear guidance about the issue of appropriate comparator in the context of lower rates of pay for shared parental leave when compared to contractual maternity leave pay (Ali v Capita Customer Management Ltd (Working Families intervening); Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police v Hextall (Working Families intervening); Hextall v Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police (Working Families intervening)  [2019] EWCA Civ 900, [2019] All ER (D) 18 (Jun)).

The issue raised by non-birthing partners when seeking shared parental leave is that employers regularly pay only the statutory rate of pay, not the contractual rate of pay. The argument is that had the non-birthing partner taken maternity leave he or she would

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
back-to-top-scroll