Can they sack me?

[hannah456ls]

Just started a new job on Tuesday and found out I'm pregnant last night. Can they let me go?

www.workingfamilies.org.uk/articles/pregnant-and-on-probation-at-work-your-rights/

Are you in the UK? They can't sack you for being pregnant because that's discrimination. If you're still in your probationary period though it might be easy for them to invent a reason why you don't pass your probation if they know you're pregnant and they don't want to deal with maternity leave, etc.

If I were you I'd keep your pregnancy quiet as long as you can (and definitely try not to tell them until after your probationary period is over).

Oh and congratulations! For the job and the pregnancy!

You won't be entitled to maternity leave anyway - you have to have started the job before becoming pregnant, effectively. So they can end your employment when you go off to have the baby (you will probably get maternity allowance instead of maternity pay but your employer doesn't have to arrange this - you have to apply yourself)

"You won't be entitled to maternity leave anyway - you have to have started the job before becoming pregnant, effectively. So they can end your employment when you go off to have the baby "

Absolute nonsense.

OP they can't sack you for being pregnant, no, and yes you are absolutely entitled to maternity leave. You will not be entitled to statutory maternity pay, but will probably be entitled to maternity allowance instead.

Is your job one where health and safety is a factor and you therefore need to tell them soon?

They can't get rid of you for being pregnant but as PP's have said, they can invent a reason why you wouldn't pass your probation.

The tricky thing with this timing is that if you'd been there a while, and you had bad morning sickness, you may have had to disclose the pregnancy to your manager so that any sick leave you take is not counted as part of your sick record. As you've not been there very long, and you're in probation, you may have to make a decision as to whether to tell them if your morning sickness does get bad, or run the risk of having marks against you for sick leave.

Not trying to scare you, I'm sure it will all work out! But I have experience in this area, I had to disclose at 7 weeks because I was so unwell. It's worth thinking about what you'd do now so that you have a plan if you do get it bad like me.

Absolutely crap that they can end your employment when you go off on maternity leave

I work in HR and when you're pregnant you're extra protected so they have to be really careful with things like probation periods etc because being pregnant is one of the protected characteristics. Obviously if there was a valid reason e.g. proven misconduct then they could end your employment. However they can't just end your employment or probation as you are pregnant.

Also if you have sick leave due to pregnancy related illnesses then this should be treated differently than if you were off sick for something else.

You won't get maternity pay from them but you can claim Maternity allowance

I wouldn't worry. And congratulations

You WILL be entitled to maternity leave. You won't be entitled to SMP or any enhanced mat pay but Maternity Allowance isn't much less.

Probation period is irrelevant. You can be dismissed for ANY reason in the first 2 years of an employment except for discrimination. Proving discrimination is hard.

However. If they are a decent employer they will not sack you for being pg. If they sack you then they are gits who don't deserve you.

Work hard. Learn well. Make yourself indispensable. Believe they are not discriminatory arseholes, rather than assuming they are. But document EVERYTHING in case this optimism is misplaced.