Your Pregnancy and Maternity Leave Entitlement

If you are pregnant, you must notify your employer at least 15 weeks before the week your baby is due and also tell them when you intend to start maternity leave.

You are entitled to reasonable paid time off for antenatal care during pregnancy; however, fathers-to-be are entitled to unpaid leave for one or two appointments, which is capped at six and a half hours for each appointment.

Employees are also entitled to statutory maternity leave, which is paid and made up of 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave and 26 weeks of additional maternity leave. You must take two weeks of compulsory maternity leave after the child is born.

To qualify for statutory maternity pay, you must:

• Have been employed by the same employer for at least 26 weeks into the 15th week before the child is due
• Earn on average a salary that is at least equal to the lower earnings limit (£102 a week) that applies on the Saturday at the end of the 15th week before the baby is due

If your employer has mistreated you during your pregnancy or maternity leave, you should speak to a solicitor at JMW today to find out what action we can take on your behalf

Examples of Maternity and Pregnancy Discrimination

If an employer mistreats a woman because she is pregnant, then they are breaking the law and a claim can be brought against them.

Common examples of maternity and pregnancy discrimination include:

• Treating a pregnant employee different to any other employee by not allowing the same training or opportunities for promotion
• Mistreating a woman due to a pregnancy-related illness
• Dismissing a woman from employment before she is due to return to work or has already returned
• Making a pregnant woman redundant for any reasons related to her pregnancy or maternity leave

Regardless of how you have been discriminated against, it is important you speak to a solicitor to discuss your circumstances and start a claim.