Maternity call rejected

A union call for full maternity pay to be available to all women staff has been rejected.

The demand for staff with less than one year's service to be allowed full BBC maternity pay came during discussions on new laws covering family leave which were introduced in April this year.

Although the BBC's maternity arrangements already meet all new legal requirements, the unions believe that newly-appointed staff should have the same right as their colleagues to receive full salary for 18 weeks of their maternity leave.

At present, women with less than one year of service have to rely on the maternity rights laid down by law, rather than the more favourable BBC agreement.

With less than 26 weeks' service, there is a right to time off work, but no right to payment, while women who have between 26 weeks and one year of service by the time they reach 15 weeks before confinement are entitled only to statutory maternity benefit, which is well below full salary.

The BBC turned down the request purely on the grounds that its current annual bill for maternity pay was already high enough, even though data for 2001 indicates that the union's demand would only have increased the number of women entitled to such pay from 530 to 552.

A further union demand for full salary to be paid to mothers for 26 weeks instead of the current 18 was also rejected.

Discussions about the new law also covered the issue of flexible working. From April all employees with a child under 6 years old, and 26 weeks' of service, have had the right to request flexible hours or a move to home-working.

Employers are now legally obliged to consider the request, and must support any refusal with reasons that fit a list of criteria contained in the law. BBC management have introduced a procedure, including an online form on the BBC Gateway intranet, to allow eligible staff to apply for flexible working.

Additionally, to reflect promises made by Greg Dyke earlier this year, the BBC has assured unions that other staff have the right to make a request for flexible working. However, unlike parents, they will not have the legal right to initiate a challenge if management refuse.