Construction workers are set to descend on Westminster, armed with a provocative message for MPs: “this lasts longer than our paternity leave.”
This unusual protest aims to highlight the lack of statutory paternity leave for self-employed fathers in the UK. Tradesmen from across the country will distribute condoms emblazoned with the stark slogan to draw attention to their cause.
Currently, self-employed fathers are not entitled to any paternity leave or pay. In contrast, employed parents are entitled to two weeks’ leave, paid at either £187.18 a week or 90 per cent of their average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
An estimated one in three fathers working in construction did not take time off when their last child was born, with many citing financial cost as a barrier, according to a poll by On The Tools.
The campaign group, alongside The Dad Shift, are pressing the Government to introduce paternity pay for those who are self-employed.
Alistair Strathern, who co-chairs the Labour Group for Men and Boys, backed the calls to close the loophole.
“It’s an absolute joke that self-employed dads get less time off to get to know their little one than it took to conceive them,” the MP for Hitchin added.
Campaigners estimate it will cost between £13.6 million and £37.7 million each year to extend paternity leave to self-employed fathers, depending on take-up.
Amanda Martin, who co-chairs the Labour Group for Men and Boys and is the MP for Portsmouth North, said: “Self-employed tradesmen build our homes, fix our heating and keep our lights on. We should be able to offer them the basic dignity of being able to welcome their child into the world without facing financial ruin.”
George Gabriel, co-founder of The Dad Shift, said: “Your average tradesman can build a crib in less than the time they get off to bond with the baby that’ll sleep in it.
“It’s unacceptable that working blokes are shafted when their babies arrive, left totally unsupported in one of the most important and challenging times of their lives. It’s time for Labour to fix this.”
Lee Wilcox, chief executive of On The Tools, said: “This huge hole in our nation’s paternity leave system needs filling, fast. Too many self-employed tradesmen can’t afford to take even one day off when their baby arrives.
“Dads in the trades, like every new parent, want to show up for those precious first few weeks for their partner and new baby without being left out of pocket for doing so.”
Self-employed mothers are entitled to a maternity allowance for up to 39 weeks.
