REDUNDANCY WHILST ON MATERNITY LEAVE

[faafaa]

My work is about to make 30 odd people redundant. I have just started my maternity leave and am concerned I will lose my maternity pay as well as my job. Do I have any rights in this matter? I'd greatly appreciate any advice.

[sparkleymummy]

Hi faafaa I'm afraid you can be made redundant whilst you are off on mat leave but you have the right of first refusal on any alternative employment roles. Presumably you work for quite a large company if they are laying off 30 people so there should be alternative employment roles in other parts of the business potentially. Do you think you are one of those who might be selected for redundancy? Businesses are generally very cautious about making those on mat leave redundant since they want to avoid any inference that the redundancy is a sham and the real reason for the termination is the mat leave/pregnancy.

[faafaa]

Hi sparklemummy thanks for your message. It is a large company but unfortunately my role is quite niche. I think that because they are making such sweeping redundancies it would be difficult to say that i was being made redundant because i was pregnant. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[flowerybeanbag]

faafaa you won't lose your statutory maternity pay regardless of your termination date, as long as you were employed at the correct time to qualify for it, which you were, you must be paid it even if you are not employed any more.

Any maternity pay you get over and above statutory you may not get depending on the redundancy package you have, they have to pay you notice as they normally would making anyone redundant, but if you normally get a month's notice, they could just give you a month's notice of your redundancy and pay you another month maternity iyswim, rather than giving you a month's salary as they might if you were actually working and earning full salary.

And even if you are sure it's not because you are on maternity leave that you are getting made redundant, if there is any other role available which could possibly be suitable, you must be offered it before anyone else, so do make sure that happens if there is anything at all.

[faafaa]

Thanks flowerybeanbag that's reassuring to know.