new employer and maternity allowance - HELP!

[iamamummy]

hi ladies

i am getting myself all confused and worked up over understanding maternity allowance and fretting about losing my job.

I have recently started a new job, i have been there 3 weeks but i am now 11 weeks pregnant. I am not sure when to tell my employer as after reading the company policy manual last night it states to inform my manager in confidence asap. The problem is i am still on my 3 month probabtion period and still have over 2 months left. there is no way i can hide my bump for this long. I am so worried that if i tell her after my scan i am pregnant that she will dismiss me at my 3 month review. is the company legally entitled to do this?

ok and also maternity leave. my edd is 28/09/09. I know i do not qualify for smp but i think i qualify for MA. i was employed by my previous employer june 08 - 26 oct 08 under maternity leave then from 26 oct 08 - 17 feb 09 unemployed. then 17 feb 09 employed. am i right in thinking if i have worked 26 weeks or more and earned £30 or more per week i should qualify? does SMP from previous employer qualify as earnings also? i believe MA is payable if its 66 weeks before edd and i have worked 26 weeks.

i apologise if this does not make sense as i am hurrying this post.

any comments welcome.

thanks x

iamamummy Not sure about the Maternity Allowance, although I am sure you will qualify for this.

As for your employers there is no way legally they can dismiss you because you are pregnant, if they do dismiss you, you need to have evidence that it was due to the fact that you are pregnant. I'm sure this will be ok tho

Oh and congratulations

Hi there, I'm afraid I don't know anything about this but a good starting point for advice might be the Citizen's Advice Bureau? They seem to be able to offer help on a huge range of issues and if there is anywhere that can give more specialist advice I'm sure they would be able to point you in the right direction. Sorry can't be of more help.

Tell them as soon as possible - it is VERY difficult to make someone who is pregnant redundant. I am 23 weeks pregnant and work in the City and everyone is telling me how lucky I am. I know that even with all the rounds of redundancy going on, I will be last to go because pregnant women's jobs are heavily protected in law. It is not impossible, but it is diffiuclt for them to make a pregnant woman redundant.

I think the same should apply to you even though you are on probation. Check your contract but I think that basically the job is yours unless during the probation period they find a reason why you are not suitable for the job. This cannot be because you are pregnant, it should be something that you have done wrong at work! They would be on dodgy ground if they tried to make up a reason to dimiss you that wasn't true as they know that it would be obvious to any employment tribunal that it would just be an excuse because you were pregnant. So I don't think you need to worry.

I am not sure about your maternity allowance. Google it!

Hope this helps - and congrats!

hiya not sure if anyone can give me advice as this thread seems old??
I have 3 jobs,

1. I work 1 and a half hours for the local council (lunch assistant at a school, been there since jan, and get paid a lousy £30pw.

2.2nd job I work 1 and half hours (cleaner)and get paid £100 pw, and been there since April 19th.

1. and lastly I work local supermarket 16hrs per week and get £5.90 per hr, and I have only just started 10th may.

Now for the do I qualify for any type of maternity allowence due date 8th Jan 2011. I have tried to work it out but it is rather confusing my I am going to be giving up job no 1 after the end of the summer term aug 18 2010.

hiya not sure if anyone can give me advice as this thread seems old??
I have 3 jobs,

1. I work 1 and a half hours for the local council (lunch assistant at a school, been there since jan, and get paid a lousy £30pw.

2.2nd job I work 1 and half hours (cleaner)and get paid £100 pw, and been there since April 19th.

1. and lastly I work local supermarket 16hrs per week and get £5.90 per hr, and I have only just started 10th may.

Now for the do I qualify for any type of maternity allowence due date 8th Jan 2011. I have tried to work it out but it is rather confusing my I am going to be giving up job no 1 after the end of the summer term aug 18 2010.