Petition · past parliament

Introduce paid bereavement leave as an employment right

Closed 41 signatures

What the petition asks

Losing a loved one is traumatic, stressful & demanding, but there is no legal requirement for employers to provide paid bereavement leave.

This means employers can force people to immediately return to work or go unpaid/use their holiday, which is unacceptable & counter-productive for well-being.
With the news that Facebook allows 20 days bereavement leave (http://bbc.in/2kYZd1J), I'm reminded of when my mother died and I was forced to use my holiday entitlement to grieve and take care of practical matters.

Media coverage shows I'm not alone in experiencing this (http://bbc.in/1gGBED7) and it highlights a dire lack of protection for workers' mental well-being, which should be a main consideration of the state and employers.

I suggest a min. 5 days paid leave. Small businesses exempt.

Timeline

1 Mar 2017 Petition opened for signatures
2 May 2017 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 41
Status Closed
Opened 1 Mar 2017
Closed 2 May 2017

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.