Pregnant teacher Q: going off sick for morning sickness counted as normal sickness?

[Yabberdabbado]

I recently read in the Burgundy Book online if your sick during pregnancy, even morning sickness, it is counted as normal sick leave. Yet Mumsnet says "If an illness is pregnancy-related, it should be recorded as such – it won’t count towards your sickness record and you cannot be dismissed for it."

I'm getting worse each morning, I'm hoping I'm going to cope, I want to cope but I'm just trying to get clued up on things before I take any options if it gets worse.

Can anyone advise? Is severe morning sickness (not HV, But just dilapidating nausea) counted as normal sick leave in teaching?

It’s so difficult-I was horribly sick for 4 months when I was pregnant. I didn’t take any time off for it though as all of the days were the same-it wasn’t like I had good days or bad days and I couldn’t be off for months. I used to dash into the children’s toilets and throw up before doing the register some days-it was so grim.

I feel your pain! Not sure about the sick pay but if it’s in the burgundy book, that’s more likely to be true than something you read on mumsnet!

I had awful sickness in my first pregnancy and did have to take time off sometimes. It was recorded as pregnancy sickness. I would check with the HR person of your local authority, you cannot be penalised for absence in pregnancy regardless of how it is recorded though.

@Redlocks28 thanks! Yeah MN sounded too good to be true!!! I'm in secondary and it's an all new covid way of doing things. I'm worried I wont be in my room much and I won't be allowed to sit on the teacher chairs if I'm in someone else's room but I'm going to have to say F it and do what's best for me 😔 I'll take sanitising spray wherever I go though.

@bookishtartlet just checking were you/ are you in teaching? X

The Burgundy book is older than The Equality Act, which is clear that someone can't be disciplined for pregnancy related sickness.

From ACAS:

Managing absence during pregnancy

An employer must not include absences because of pregnancy or pregnancy- related illness in ‘managing absence triggers’ – a trigger is the number of days’ absence in an employer’s policy when managers would consider disciplinary warnings, and ultimately dismissal, unless attendance at work improves.

Neither should absences because of pregnancy or pregnancy-related illness be included in any other kind of absence record. Also, negative comments or warnings about absences because of pregnancy or pregnancy-related illness are likely to be discriminatory.

An employee off sick because of a pregnancy-related illness has a right to statutory sick pay as if she was off ill for any other reason, if she meets statutory sick pay rules. Or, under her contract of employment, she might be entitled to contractual sick pay at a better rate.

If she is absent because of a pregnancy-related illness in the last four weeks before her expected week of childbirth, her maternity leave and pay can be automatically triggered at that point.

If, in the employee’s contract, contractual sick pay is at the employer’s discretion, it should pay it to avoid potential discrimination.

Thanks @pastabest I should probably check with my Union. The Burgundy book is very beneficial for teachers maternity rights but is a bit shit in other areas.

Yes, I'm a teacher.