Nursery World - Employers flout established maternity rights

* Tens of thousands of women are being illegally sacked or threatened with dismissal because they are pregnant, claims a report by the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux . The report, Birth Rights, found many mothers and fathers were unlikely to benefit from the Government's efforts to extend maternity and paternity rights. It warned that the new rights were being undermined by a failure to acknowledge the extent to which existing statutory provisions are flouted by employers.

* Tens of thousands of women are being illegally sacked or threatened with dismissal because they are pregnant, claims a report by the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux .

The report, Birth Rights, found many mothers and fathers were unlikely to benefit from the Government's efforts to extend maternity and paternity rights. It warned that the new rights were being undermined by a failure to acknowledge the extent to which existing statutory provisions are flouted by employers.

NACAB chief executive David Harker said, 'Putting most of the Government's proposals into practice would make a huge difference to the work-life balance of working parents and to the well-being of their children. But additional rights will be worthless to many unless the problem of enforcement is tackled, and there is real, practical assistance for small employers.'

The report costs 6.50 from the Social Policy Department, NACAB, Myddelton House, 115-123 Pentonville Road, London N1 9LZ or is free from the website www.nacab.org.uk