Bereavement leave

The ERA 2025 introduces a new right to at least one week’s unpaid bereavement leave, in addition to the existing right to paid parental bereavement leave. Consultation on these new measures ran from 23 October 2025 until 15 January 2026. The new right applies to the loss of a loved one, including pregnancy loss occurring in the first 24 weeks. The government proposes that the leave can be taken within a window of 56 days, with the detail on eligibility and application of the right to be set out in regulations to be implemented in 2027. Disappointingly, there is no proposal for this leave to be paid. Union members may benefit from existing collective agreements which provide for similar leave but on a paid basis. 

 

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