MEPs vote to boost maternity leave and pay

The decision, by a 390-192 vote of the European Parliament, marks the start of months of wrangling with member governments, which say the move is unnecessary and unaffordable and could discourage the employment of young female workers.

Yesterday's vote had been delayed for an "impact assessment" of the plan. The resulting report put the extra cost in a sample of 10 EU countries at 121.18bn euros (101.636bn) between now and 2030.

The UK would bear 47 per cent of the total, said the report – 2.5bn a year.

But Portuguese Socialist Edite Estrel, the MEP who led calls for an even tougher maternity leave regime, said the costs were "minimal", insisting: "This is a great day for new parents and good news for our economic future in Europe.

"Instead of penalising women for having children, we need to support them and help them to balance work and family life."

The plan also provides for two weeks' paternity leave.

The current minimum EU requirement, agreed in 1992, is set at 14 weeks maternity leave, with pay for the duration to be no lower than sickness pay in the member state concerned. But the European Commission decided to increase the benefit, proposing 18 weeks' maternity leave, with the exact pay rate left to national authorities.

By going even further, MEPs have guaranteed a tussle with member states that have relatively generous national schemes.

Current UK rules give pregnant women up to a full year off, six weeks of it paid at 90 per cent of the mother's average pay, followed by 33 weeks on Statutory Maternity Pay of nearly 125 a week – 55 per cent higher than sick pay. The rest is unpaid.

British government officials say there is no need to update the existing arrangements, not least because there are no cross-border implications in Europe for differing maternity leave regimes in the member states.

Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne said the demand for full pay over 20 weeks should have been rejected. "This is a disappointing result. I am assured the coalition Government will stop this in its tracks before it becomes legislation. "

David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "This should be about setting minimum health and safety standards for pregnant workers, not adding new payroll costs for overburdened companies and national social security systems."

Yorkshire and the Humber UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom lashed out at MEPs who, he said, were hammering Britain and its businesses.

"They call it the Pregnant Workers directive," he added. "There will be precious few workers who are pregnant in future as it will not be worthwhile for employers to employ women of child bearing age."

Tina Sommer, EU and International Affairs Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, warned that the plan could cost small firms an extra 7,000.

A Government spokesman said MEPs had "got it completely wrong". "Under the parliament's proposals, a woman earning 10,000 a year would only get 20 per cent more maternity pay, whereas a woman earning 60,000 a year would receive 146 per cent more," he added.

"But MEPs have not had the final say. We will be working hard with

other EU member states to oppose this."