December 23, 2005
The CBI has withdrawn its support for government plans to extend maternity leave.
The government plans to extend maternity leave from 6 months to 9 months in April 2007, and originally suggested that HM Customs and Excise would pick up the tab on the increased administration costs.
However, recently Gordon Brown determined in his pre-budget report that businesses would have to pay for the increased administrative burden themselves, because the costs to the government would be “disproportionate” to the benefits.