Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, commenting on figures released by Citizens Advice today on maternity discrimination, said:

The 25 per cent increase in the number of people asking for advice on pregnancy and maternity issues in the past year is cause for alarm.

The government has known for some time that maternity discrimination is on the increase yet has failed to put measures in place to protect mothers in the workplace.

Under this Tory government it now costs up to £1200 to bring a maternity discrimination claim to an employment tribunal which has seen fewer than one per cent of women experiencing maternity discrimination now bringing forward a claim.

The government must urgently outline its strategy to tackling this issue and reverse the alarming increase in levels of maternity discrimination on its watch.