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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask employer for extra financial support

93 replies

girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 16:15

I'm currently pregnant in my 3rd trimester (27 weeks) and looking forward to a nice maternity leave...

The company I work for just dropped a massive bombshell on us and basically there's going to be lots of job cuts.
I'm devastated. We don't know who's affected yet but it just really sucks!
We'll find out in a few weeks but in the meantime I'm just keeping my fingers crossed I'm safe.

I've been with them just over 3years and the maternity benefits are really good. You get 32 weeks fully paid (the normal 6 weeks plus 26 weeks additional as employee benefits).

If I get made redundant I will lose all of that. Which is a huge difference!
So I've gone from feeling relaxed to now stressing tf out about the future. Last thing I needed was to worry about finding work immediately after having my baby.

DH and I already have a toddler and this would be baby number 2. So it's such a huge financial strain on us.

Has anyone ever been in this situation before? What can I do? What are my rights?

Would I BU to ask my employer to provide some extra financial assistance in case I'm one of the people being made redundant??
So stressed and honestly frustrated as nobody saw this coming.

Thanks all 😔

OP posts:
Florin · 12/05/2021 16:47

I think that would be unfair on the other employees. Think how you would feel if you were in your colleagues position and got less money than someone who was pregnant. It would be discrimination.

Fairyliz · 12/05/2021 16:50

The same thing happened to me when I was pregnant but I got my maternity pay and redundancy money, although that was a few years ago.
Anyone in hr you can talk to?

OnlyInYourDreams · 12/05/2021 16:50

YABU.

I sympathise, but the reason they’re cutting jobs will be because of financial losses. There’s no way you can ask an employer who are cutting their costs to safeguard you against the impact of redundancy.

TwoAndAnOnion · 12/05/2021 16:51

There are comprehensive sites out there that will answer your questions. In short, you can be made redundant whilst pregnant but not because you are pregnant. Your job has to have legitimately fallen away.

You cannot ask for maternity pay if you are redundant (you can ask, but there is no obligation)

maternityaction.org.uk/advice/redundancy-during-pregnancy-and-maternity-leave/

SuperMonkeys · 12/05/2021 16:52

They need to be very careful when making pregnant ladies redundant, so they may be wary of doing so.

Camomila · 12/05/2021 16:53

Could you start your maternity leave as early as allowed? That should give you some extra protection if they are making redundancies.

Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 16:55

@Fairyliz

The same thing happened to me when I was pregnant but I got my maternity pay and redundancy money, although that was a few years ago. Anyone in hr you can talk to?
Thanks for responding 😊 Did you have to request this through an appeal or did your redundancy terms made sure you got financial cover?
OP posts:
Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 16:57

@Florin

I think that would be unfair on the other employees. Think how you would feel if you were in your colleagues position and got less money than someone who was pregnant. It would be discrimination.
That makes sense tbh but I guess I'm just feeling desperate at this point.

I also do not have same advantage as other non-pregnant employees who could jump back onto the job market straightaway if they wanted to.

OP posts:
purplemunkey · 12/05/2021 16:58

I was made redundant whilst on mat leave. My remaining mat pay was paid out as part of my redundancy. I’d imagine they’d do the same. Wait to see if your job is at risk first. If it is, this will form part of the discussions about potential settlement.

Bluntness100 · 12/05/2021 16:59

@Camomila

Could you start your maternity leave as early as allowed? That should give you some extra protection if they are making redundancies.
Why would it? You make the position redundant not the person. The persons employment is terminated if the position is redundant.

Being on maternity leave gives no added protection. Either her job is gone or it has not

Op,it’s likely there is a standard package. It’s hugely unlikely they will enhance it if you’re impacted, where would it stop? Someone who is ill and unlikely to get another job? Someone nearing retirement age who would struggle? A single parent? Someone whose partner doesn’t work?

Hopefully you’re not impacted, and yes if you are you can ask for more money. But it’s unlikely this would be ever granted

PinkSnowAndStars · 12/05/2021 17:03

I don’t know employment law well….

But would it make sense to start maternity leave asap?

Devlesko · 12/05/2021 17:04

How do you know the non pregnant could just jump back into another job.
It's not easy finding work atm, lot's of businesses are closing.
I would imagine your colleagues are as worried as you, you aren't disadvantaged as you will be out of work for a year anyway, if you keep your job or not.

ThatIsMyPotato · 12/05/2021 17:04

[quote TwoAndAnOnion]There are comprehensive sites out there that will answer your questions. In short, you can be made redundant whilst pregnant but not because you are pregnant. Your job has to have legitimately fallen away.

You cannot ask for maternity pay if you are redundant (you can ask, but there is no obligation)

maternityaction.org.uk/advice/redundancy-during-pregnancy-and-maternity-leave/[/quote]
I was about to post the Maternity Action page, it's really helpful. Hope it helps you OP.

Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 17:04

[quote TwoAndAnOnion]There are comprehensive sites out there that will answer your questions. In short, you can be made redundant whilst pregnant but not because you are pregnant. Your job has to have legitimately fallen away.

You cannot ask for maternity pay if you are redundant (you can ask, but there is no obligation)

maternityaction.org.uk/advice/redundancy-during-pregnancy-and-maternity-leave/[/quote]
Thanks for the resources!

I know the chances are slim that they'll even consider giving me any extra money which is why I'm wondering if it's unreasonable to ask...

OP posts:
MontysRoseGarden · 12/05/2021 17:06

well how much are you going to ask for?

DontGoIntoTheLongGrass · 12/05/2021 17:08

Sorry about this. My dh just found out his company are making massive cuts and we're waiting for next few weeks now too. It is shit tbh. I hope you figure something out x

Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 17:08

@Devlesko

How do you know the non pregnant could just jump back into another job. It's not easy finding work atm, lot's of businesses are closing. I would imagine your colleagues are as worried as you, you aren't disadvantaged as you will be out of work for a year anyway, if you keep your job or not.
I'm talking jumping back on the job hunt not finding an actual job. There's no guarantee of that obviously because of the situation we're all in currently with COVID.

But having a newborn I will not be able to get back on the hunt immediately. Plus the redundancies are happening before I am due so definitely will be almost impossible to get a job then.

OP posts:
PinkSnowAndStars · 12/05/2021 17:08

You could also try the employment board on here. There are some clever people over there that know their stuff!

What I can’t work out from a quick google, is if it’s better to be made redundant whilst on maternity leave rather than before you start it. Obviously you’d get your SMP, but would they be likely to pay out on the additional maternity pay you’d have got?

Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 17:11

@DontGoIntoTheLongGrass

Sorry about this. My dh just found out his company are making massive cuts and we're waiting for next few weeks now too. It is shit tbh. I hope you figure something out x
I hope he's okay. Absolutely terrible that so many people are going through this due to the state of things... good luck!
OP posts:
Camomila · 12/05/2021 17:12

I googled this last year (my company had a round of redundancies while I was on mat leave), and read that while your role can get made redundant while you are on mat leave they should give you priority for any other suitable roles in the company.

We used a points based system so I got excluded from consideration as I hadn't been in for ages at that point, but I'm not sure that would help the OP.

Moondust001 · 12/05/2021 17:13

Why would it? You make the position redundant not the person. The persons employment is terminated if the position is redundant. Being on maternity leave gives no added protection. Either her job is gone or it has not

Being on maternity leave doesn't prevent your role being redundant. But it may give the OP advantages if there are are reductions in the number of posts, or suitable alternative employment. So starting maternity leave could be advantageous, depending on the circumstances.

Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 17:14

@MontysRoseGarden

well how much are you going to ask for?
Honestly no idea tbh. I was thinking the first 6 weeks paid before SMP kicks in. But I'm not sure how common this is so don't want to ask if it's unreasonable...
OP posts:
Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 17:16

@PinkSnowAndStars

You could also try the employment board on here. There are some clever people over there that know their stuff!

What I can’t work out from a quick google, is if it’s better to be made redundant whilst on maternity leave rather than before you start it. Obviously you’d get your SMP, but would they be likely to pay out on the additional maternity pay you’d have got?

Will try that thank you! I'm wondering the same thing and have asked HR about it.
OP posts:
osbertthesyrianhamster · 12/05/2021 17:18

So you want preferential treatment in the form of financial compensation because you're pregnant or it's discrimination but it's not discriminatory to other employees to do this? Hmm

WhiteVixen · 12/05/2021 17:19

My company did a round of redundancies when I was pregnant with my second, two years ago. Luckily I kept my job but as part of the consultation process it was agreed that any pregnant woman who was more than 25 weeks at the point of being made redundant would also receive the full maternity pay they would have been paid over the course of their maternity leave, including any additional maternity pay offered over and above the statutory. So if I had been made redundant I would have walked away with nearly a full year's salary. So I would be asking, as part of the consultation process, what they are able to offer in terms of maternity pay, as you are now 27 weeks.