Workers will gain new legal rights to unpaid bereavement leave from 2027, including two weeks following pregnancy loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Workers in Britain will gain a new legal right to bereavement leave from April 2027, including up to two weeks of unpaid leave for pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, under changes confirmed by the Government.
The new rights will give employees a statutory entitlement to time away from work following the death of a close family member, extending protection to relationships that are currently not covered by specific bereavement leave rules.
The entitlement will cover the death of a spouse or partner, parent, adult child or sibling. It will also recognise step, half, adoptive, kinship care and foster relationships, meaning employees will have a legal right to take bereavement leave when they lose a family member such as a stepchild.
The Government said the changes, which will come into force in April 2027, are intended to provide a basic safety net for workers who currently depend on their employer’s individual policies when dealing with bereavement.
Minister for the Future of Work Kate Dearden said people should not have to worry about whether they can take time away from work during some of the most difficult periods of their lives.
“No one should have to fight for time to grieve. These changes back people going through some of the hardest moments of life, whoever they are and wherever they work.”
- Kate Dearden, Minister for the Future of Work
“No one should have to fight for time to grieve,” she said, thanking campaigners whose experiences helped push the changes forward.
The new leave will be unpaid, although the Government said many employers already offer paid compassionate or bereavement leave that goes beyond the statutory minimum. More than eight in 10 employers responding to the Government’s consultation supported bereavement leave following the death of an immediate family member.
The leave will also be flexible. Employees will be able to take it within 56 weeks of a bereavement and can use it as individual days rather than taking the full entitlement in one block.
Workers taking leave during the first eight weeks after a bereavement will only need to notify their employer as soon as reasonably practicable. They will not normally have to provide evidence of the death, a measure the Government says is designed to protect privacy and dignity.
Employees will also be protected from detriment or dismissal for exercising their statutory right.
Pregnancy loss recognised
A separate element of the reforms will introduce a legal right to up to two weeks of unpaid bereavement leave following pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.
The entitlement will cover miscarriage, terminations and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers. It will apply not only to the woman experiencing the loss but also to partners, another biological parent and intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.
The Government said the measure recognises that pregnancy loss can affect the whole family and provides a minimum level of protection regardless of an employer’s existing policies.
At present, employees experiencing a miscarriage before 24 weeks do not have a general statutory entitlement to maternity, paternity or parental bereavement leave in Great Britain. Employers may offer time off, including paid leave, but this depends on workplace policies or individual arrangements.
The new entitlement follows campaigning by bereaved parents and organisations seeking greater recognition of pregnancy loss in employment law.
Vicki Robinson, chief executive of Miscarriage UK, welcomed the Government’s announcement but said campaigners would continue pressing for bereavement leave to be paid.
She described the change as an important step towards recognising pregnancy loss as a bereavement and said it could provide a baseline from which employers choose to offer greater support.
Existing rights remain
The reforms will build on existing parental bereavement rights, which provide eligible employees with two weeks of leave following the death of a child under 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Statutory parental bereavement pay can also be available to eligible employees.
Those existing provisions are commonly known as Jack’s Law and already provide a statutory framework for parents dealing with the death of a child.
The new rules go further by extending a statutory bereavement entitlement to wider family relationships and pregnancy losses before 24 weeks.
The changes form part of the Government’s wider employment reforms under its Make Work Pay programme. The Employment Rights Act has introduced or established a series of new workplace protections, with further measures scheduled to come into force during 2027.
Matthew Percival, CBI Future of Work and Skills Director, said a day-one right to bereavement leave recognised the importance of giving employees time and space during difficult periods.
He said many businesses already provided compassionate leave and that employers would work with the Government, unions and other organisations on the detail and guidance.
The Government is also conducting a wider review of parental leave and pay, including proposals relating to parents of children with terminal illnesses.
Ministers said the bereavement reforms would provide a statutory minimum while allowing employers to continue offering more generous arrangements.
For families dealing with bereavement or pregnancy loss, the central change will be that access to time away from work will no longer depend solely on an employer’s discretion.
The new rights are expected to be enacted through secondary legislation next year before taking effect in April 2027.
