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Labour: Paternity leave reforms would help 400,000 families

Labour has unveiled plans for a significant boost to paternity leave if it wins the election - doubling the time fathers can take off to four weeks.

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Labour urged to try shared leave before making more changes

The Federation of Small Businesses has urged the government to allow companies to adapt to shared parental leave before making more changes.

Responding to Labour proposals to extend paternity leave and increase paternity pay, Federation chairman John Allan warned that small firms would struggle to shoulder the extra financial burden.

Businesses will have legitimate concerns about these proposals and it’s important political parties understand the practical implications of policy changes.

Altering paternity leave so soon after introducing shared parental leave has the potential to cause confusion amongst businesses that are only getting to grips with the most recent changes. We'd like to see shared parental leave have a chance to bed in before seeking to give dads extra time off.

The reality is that for small businesses in particular, extending paternity leave from two to four weeks makes it much more likely that they will have to buy in replacement staff as they will struggle with absences. That's a cost that some firms will struggle to afford.

– John Allan, Federation of Small Businesses
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Labour: Paternity leave reforms would help 400,000 families

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