31weeks pregnant and company still not acknowledged me!

[upturnj]

I wrote to my employer in June advsing them that I was pregnant and that I'd like my maternity leave to start on the 16th Novemeber.

My line Manager handed my letter to our Financial Director who just rolled his eyes and tutted.
In August I submitted my MATB1 form to my employer.
In August I write to my line Manager requesting that I use my remaining holiday days to run concurrently with my maternity leave. No reply, so I requested this again 2 weeks ago but still have had no response.

I am due to leave in 2 weeks and no cover has been sorted either for my role.

6 weeks ago I wrote to the Managing Director asking him if I could have some assistance with the cost of childcare. I have not received a response to this either.

I wrote to him again yesterday stating all the facts and I hope I finally get a reply to this.

I have worked for the comapny for a long time and I don't want to rock the boat but this is really stressing me out.

I have not had any formal acknowledgement of my pregnancy.

On top of this our HR Director verbally told another director that the company offers 3 months at 90% of salary but on clarifcation this has been retracted and it will be discussed in the new year (too late for me) Can they do this?

I'd be most gratful for any help or similar expereinces shared.

Presumably you are communicating with your line manager verbally on a regular basis, rather than relying on letters? When you ask him/her about your holiday request and about when you can expect written confirmation about your mat leave dates and the pay you will receive, what does he/she say?

You mention that you want to take holiday concurrently with maternity leave. How would you do that exactly? Either you are on holiday or you are on mat leave, you can't be both at the same time. Assuming your manager agrees your holiday request do you mean you are hoping to be on holiday from 16 November and then start mat leave after that?

On what basis are you asking for assistance with childcare costs? Is this something your company normally do?

You mention a conversation between the HR Director and another director about maternity pay, but what have you been told? Unless you were standing there at the time and the conversation about maternity pay was directed at/including you, then what one director said to another at some point isn't really relevant. If your company is big enough to have an HR Director I would assume they have a maternity policy of some description - what does that say about maternity leave and pay?

You are absolutely right they should have acknowledged your pregnancy in writing, they are in fact obliged to do so, but at the same time you should be doing all you can in terms of reading policy documentation etc.

Sorry for all the questions!

Hi flowerybeanbag I have 20 days holiday to take and have asked to take these before my maternity leave starts (wrong choice of words sorry!) i.e. I am on holiday from 16th Novemeber till the 20th Decemeber then my maternity leave starts on 21st December.

My line manager is a self employed consultant who has been working at the company for just over a year. He just tells me to speak to our Financial Director about it.
I have been asking the company on and off for two years to look at setting up a Childcare Voucher Scheme. I have also asked them to perhaps look at reviewing my salary as it hasn't been done for 3 years.

We have a staff handbook and I shall try once more to get my hands on a copy (been here 9 years and I still haven't seen one!)

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond.