Louise Nousratpour at TUC Conference, Brighton
Thursday May 17, 2007
The Morning Star
CIVIL servants union PCS conference warned on Thursday that women who experience post-natal depression and other pregnancy-related illnesses are not protected by the law against management discrimination and bullying.
Delegates condemned the law's inadequacy to protect women suffering from childbirth-related illnesses beyond their statutory maternity leave period and demanded new legislation to rectify this injustice.
Around one in six women experience post-natal depression.
Cardiff and District delegate Kathrine Williams said that the Department of Work and Pensions, where she works, was receiving an increasing number of complaints from women about workplace discrimination during and after pregnancy.
She warned that employers were ignoring legislation and using sickness absence schemes to put pressure on depressed mothers to return to work or face the sack.
Ms Williams also highlighted the fact that massive cutbacks in the health service directly affected these vulnerable women, pointing out that "many, who are often in imminent danger of harming themselves or others, are having to wait six to eight months just to access an NHS counsellor."
Glasgow Branch delegate Jerry McMahon, whose wife suffered from post-natal depression, agreed that "the law doesn't provide the protection needed."
He also argued that the statutory maternity and paternity leave period should be extended to allow parents time to bond with their new-born child "without the threat of bullying or sacking."
PCS national executive member Sue Bond pledged the union's commitment to push for amendments to the law to protect these women from aggressive employers.
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