Hi everyone.
I'm currently 11 weeks pregnant with my first baby. We are delighted as I suffered a traumatic miscarriage in April, but I'm terrified of telling my work.
I've only been in my current job since mid May. Luckily I've not been sick and I'm not really showing yet so they don't know nor suspect I'm pregnant.
I'm actually employed by an agency rather than by the actual company I work at, but was assured at my interview that as long as I worked hard and did well I'd be almost guaranteed a permanent contract within a few months, though of course I wasn't pregnant then. It does seem to be true, as most of my permanent colleagues began as agency.
I'm fairly certain that I'm an employee of the agency rather than a worker, as NI and tax is deducted from my pay and I've worked at the same 'assignment' and the same hours consistently since being employed. I'm not 100% sure though.
My main worries are that I won't be offered maternity leave, a permanent contract, and/or there won't be a job for me to return to as I've read that agencies are not obligated to keep a job open for you, nor are agency employees entitled to maternity leave? I don't know if this is actually correct though.
I am entitled to maternity pay as I will have worked there long enough (just 
) and I earn more than £113 a week.
I enjoy my job and would like to return to it once I've had baby. What are my rights as an agency employee? Any advice would be enormously appreciated