Maternity Rights
Should an employee fall pregnant, it is deemed unfair for that employee to be dismissed by her employer, even if she has not completed even a year’s continuous employment. Below are employees’ other maternity rights, some of which are not common knowledge.
1. Ordinary maternity leave is 26 weeks, though pregnant employees are also entitled to an additional 26 weeks of maternity leave, starting at the end of the of the standard 26 weeks. This is a potential total maternity leave of 52 weeks, or an entire year.
2. When returning to work after ordinary maternity leave, the employee has the right to the same contractual conditions as when she left. When returning after additional maternity leave, she has the right to a comparable position.
3. The employee has the right to demand available alternative work if her pregnancy makes her unable to do her normal work.
4. A pregnant employee also has the right to take paid leave for ante-natal care.
5. A pregnant employee has the right to claim up to 39 weeks of maternity pay if she has worked for 26 weeks previous to a date 15 weeks before her baby is due.
6. While on maternity leave, the employee has the right to all the same contractual terms as when she was working, with the exception of pay.
March 26th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Correct. However, an entire year of paid leave it quite rare.
March 26th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
So she can get an entire year of paid leave, even if she hasn’t worked for the company for a single year???
March 27th, 2010 at 11:05 am
That’s crazy!!! Pays to have kids! And they say there’s inequality in the workplace.
March 28th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
I believe the point is that, without support, women would be forced to choose between children and work. Having children should be a special and important part of somebody’s life; it shouldn’t come second place to work and, if possible, companies should support employees who choose to have children.
Granted, there is scope to take advantage of the system, but this is the case in all aspects of law and work.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Women SHOULD have to choose between careers and children!! A successful career needs loads of time and dedication; a child requires loads of time and dedication – you can’t have both!! Although apparently now you can because somebody else has to pay for you to NOT work.