Employer leaving childcare voucher scheme

[MrsCobes44]

Hi

Does anyone know how much notice your employer needs to give you when they leave the childcare voucher scheme? I am pregnant with DC2 and my employer has discovered (after my investigations) that they have to continue paying my childcare vouchers whilst I am on maternity leave as I only receive statuatory maternity pay. My employer wants to avoid this and is therefore planning on leaving the childcare scheme! I believe that they have to give me 3 months notice- does any one know if that is correct and whether it should be 3 full months notice. My maternity leave starts on 24th May.

Many thanks

I thought you pay was based on what you received in your qualifying week. I'm not sure that changes made after that (e.g. withrawing from the scheme) would reduce their obligations to you. Not to mention what they are doing is clearly with the intent to stop paying you, and therefore has grat potential to be viewed as sexual discrimination by a tribunal.

(however I am not a lawyer)

Are you the only person in the scheme? What they are doing is arguably discrimination on grounds of pregnancy - they would be stuffed if you decided to go to tribunal!

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your responses. There is only one other person in the scheme (it is a small company) and he is currently on long term sick leave. I also just called the childcare voucher company and they confirmed that my employer can leave the scheme at any time without giving any notice so unfortunately it looks like this is what they will do .

Can I ask how you found out they'd have at keep paying then whilst you're on mat leave? I've been trying to find this info for a while now and have only found that its up to your individual employer.

I can't ask my employer directly because I don't want then to know I'm TTC.

Hi Pizzaqueen

This link has some useful info:

vouchers.employersforchildcare.org/media/Childcare%20vouchers%20during%20maternity%20leave%20(parents).pdf

Thanks!

There is no generally applicable notice period, but

(i) there may be something in the terms of your employer's specific scheme - you may have signed a document that says that it applies to a fixed term of 12 months for instance

(ii) this is a change to your (and every other employee's) terms of employment and the employer is obliged to consult with the staff: there is no fixed period for consultation but it must be reasonable.