Am I entitled to same maternity package?

[user1471271586]

Hi,
I'm just about to tell my boss that I'm pregnant. We're a small company so don't have any HR dept or even an employee handbook. There has only been one other pregnancy in the company. That was a few years ago and I know that she ended up getting a legal friend to write her a maternity package as they took so long to get back to her.
I don't know the exact details but I know that she got a pretty sweet deal as she had been working at the company for 12 years at the time.
I'm also coming up to my twelfth year now and wonder if I'm legally entitled to the same enhanced package that they gave her? Or is each case assessed indvidually?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks :)

[flowery]

You are entitled to the statutory minimum, unless there is something in your contract or a policy stating that you are entitled to more.

If there had been loads of employees going on maternity leave regularly and they'd all been given the same enhanced package then you might be able to argue you had a reason to expect the same by custom and practice.

But one employee getting something a few years ago doesn't entitled everyone to the same going forward.

[user1471271586]

Thanks so much flowery. That's understandable I guess. Just wanted to get my facts straight before I face the big boss man hehe
Thanks again