“Automatic” maternity leave trigger

[DelisButAlsoCrime]

Have tried searching on this but cannot find an answer!

I’m due in just over 3 weeks, and have been signed off from work for almost the entirety of my pregnancy due to HG - sick pay has gone down to half pay.

I know if you’re off with pregnancy related sickness from 36 weeks it will “trigger” the start of maternity leave. However, I’ve not heard anything from my work about this, I got paid as normal at the end of last month and haven’t had any communication at all. Is there something formal they need to put in place to set off this trigger? Are they obliged to do it (I would personally rather they didn’t to maximise the length of my maternity leave!)

I don’t particularly want to contact work as they have been very difficult with my absence, attempting to put me through formal absence disciplinary despite my absence being pregnancy related (union and ACAS stepped up and they backed down, but it’s been rather frosty). Also, if they’ve forgotten I don’t really want to remind them! I sent my MATB1 to them back in April so no issues there. Anyone any ideas?

I am not sure about your workplace. But I am 33 weeks and last week when I was in hospital having monitoring I phoned work and was advised if I take the day off as sick leave then I would start my mat leave immediately. I therefore agreed with my manager if everything was OK following the monitoring then I would take the day as annual leave and return to work the next day. So guessing sick leave triggers mat leave fairly early as I was 32 weeks last week 🤔

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

@Donimo Employers can only start your maternity leave if you take pregnancy related sick leave in the 4 weeks before you are due.