PREGNANT women and new mothers working across public services are regularly exposed to health risks, bullying and violence at work, Britain’s biggest union warned today.

Research carried out by Unison and charity Maternity Action suggested many women are affected by employers who ignore laws or are unaware of staff rights.

Unison general secretary Andrea Egan said: “Having a legal right is quite a different matter from actually being protected at work.

“Far too many pregnant women or returning mums are being ignored, placed at risk or treated unfairly because bad employers don’t follow their obligations.

“Those failures leave women exposed to violence and bullying when they’re at their most vulnerable. Lower-paid workers in front-line public services are bearing the brunt of this.

“Employers must close the gap between what the law says and what actually happens at work.”

A survey of more than 2,300 women who have had children from 2022 onwards found that one in five had no workplace health and safety risk assessment during their pregnancy, even though employers are legally required to carry one out. 

Many of those who were assessed said agreed adjustments to their work, designed to reduce potential risks, had been delayed or ignored.

Such failures have left pregnant staff exposed to unsafe conditions, including violence from service users, heavy lifting, lone working, long shifts and extreme stress, according to the findings.

Maternity Action director Ali Fiddy said: “We call upon employers and the government to ensure that the law is complied with, and that maternity pay is uprated as a matter of urgency.”