"In this country, we think people who have a baby should live on less than half the minimum wage."
Statutory maternity and paternity pay works out at about £4.99 an hour on full time hours. The minimum wage - which is the minimum amount it's meant to be possible to live off - is £12.21.
Which is why last night, dozens of MPs stood up in Parliament to speak in favour of raising parental pay to the minimum wage, after over 100k people signed a Parliamentary petition started by Grace Carter 🦋
It's not the kind of debate that can become law, but the Government will sit up and take notice of this. Well done everyone involved, and thanks to Stella Creasey, Mark Sewards MP, Sarah Russell, Daniel Francis, Amanda Martin MP, Alex McIntyre MP for their speeches in the clip below, and to every MP who spoke up at the debate 💪
We think in this country if you have a baby you should live on less than the national minimum wage. Sounds impossible when you say it out loud. It's a hard job, it always will be. It should be, but it shouldn't be this hard. It isn't just about making sure that we can all have posh brands. 70% of children in poverty in the UK have at least one working parent. My experience and my children being born 9 weeks early, of my wife having a C-section, of one of my children being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 12 days old and me working through the whole six weeks of them being a special care. Because I wasn't entitled to a day of paternity, care at pay continues to live with me. I heard from trades people who supported my tool theft campaign, returning to work on almost no sleep, operating heavy machinery and driving long distances. 1 plainly told me I was in danger to myself but I could not afford to start. 40% of all births in England are now carried out by caesarean section. Why is a father expected to return to work leaving his partner with a newborn baby when they are still recovering from major surgery? When you free dads don't take that portunity leave because they can't afford to.
All so hard-hitting and all so familiar!
I remember feeling so guilty, the first Monday going back to work after just a fortnight off with my wife and daughter.
All so hard-hitting and all so familiar! I remember feeling so guilty, the first Monday going back to work after just a fortnight off with my wife and daughter.