The Green Party is considering giving ‘all workers who menstruate’ an additional 36 days’ paid leave a year, The Spectator can reveal. Leaked documents show that a motion has been submitted for the party’s Autumn Conference which would force businesses to allow staff to take three days off every month during menstruation. Employees would not have to present a doctor’s note, and the time off would not be recorded as sickness absence or deducted from annual leave.
Employees would not have to present a doctor’s note
The motion, which refers specifically to ‘workers who menstruate’ rather than ‘women’, also states that time off could be extended further for those suffering from endometriosis, adenomyosis, polycystic ovary disease or other related conditions. A doctor’s note for those specific conditions would need to be presented only once a year. The additional leave, according to the Green plan, would be enshrined in the ‘Workers Rights and Employment’ section of the party’s ‘Policies for a Sustainable Society’.
Interestingly, the motion for 36 days of menstrual leave was submitted by a male party member, Allan McLeod. He serves as a trade union representative for the Darlington Green Party and has previously been a member of the National Disciplinary Committee. Social media posts suggest McLeod is a passionate trans activist.
It comes as Zack Polanski yesterday attempted to bolster his economic credentials in a speech to the British Chambers of Commerce. The Green leader pledged to instil ‘clarity, stability and a serious vision’ for business and the economy.
As Andy Burnham threatens to win back Labour-to-Green voters with a more left-wing agenda, Polanski will hope to prove he can take the fight to the MP for Makerfield in the upcoming Manchester mayoral election. A new poll for the race from Focaldata puts Labour ahead of the pack on 33 per cent, followed by Reform on 30 per cent, the Greens on 13 per cent and the Tories on 11.
The Green Party’s annual jamboree is due to take place in Brighton in October. Its members could debate motions including this one, a proposal to ban male circumcision in children, and the infamous ‘Zionism is Racism’ diktat. Earlier this month, The Spectator revealed splits in the Green membership over antisemitism. There is a struggle for the future of the party between Polanski and its various official ‘Special Interest Groups’. The leader has been accused by internal organisations, including the Global Majority Greens, of creating a ‘hierarchy of racism’ with antisemitism at the top.
A Green Party spokesperson said: ‘Conference is still months away and although members have started to submit motions not everything submitted ends up being discussed.’
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