According to figures from the Office for National Statistics multiple births in England and Wales account for around 1.5% of all maternities. Parents who are in that 1.5%, while no doubt counting their blessings, are also having to cope with the additional work and cost that a multiple birth brings. So do those employees who have become parents of twins (or triplets, or more) have an entitlement to double (or treble, or more) of family-related leave?
Well, perhaps surprisingly, where maternity and paternity leave are concerned, there is only one entitlement to leave even if the birth is a multiple birth. With adoptions, where more than one child is placed as part of the same placement then the entitlement is also to one period of leave only. Parents struggling to meet the costs of more than one addition to the family will be disappointed to learn that they do not qualify for any additional statutory maternity, adoption or paternity pay – although there is nothing to prevent an employer providing for additional benefit if it wishes, as long as it is consistent in how it treats such employees.
However, parental leave is different. Employees who qualify for parental leave are entitled to take 13 weeks’ unpaid leave for each child under five.
See the following FAQ’s for more detail: Where an employee is expecting twins, will she be entitled to two lots of maternity leave?
See XpertHR’s employment law reference manual (subscription required) for more information on the rights of parents.
|
| Permalink | Email this |
