Redundant and pregnant - advice needed please!

[clairefromsteps]

I've been going through redundancy talks at work over the last couple of months - my job is being moved to another office and it's too far for me to travel with the childcare arrangments I have. I'm a bit mopey about it, but not too much as I can't abide my job!

A couple of weeks ago I found out I was pregnant, which we had been trying for for ages, so we're really happy! I told my boss and she's been really nice about it - makes no difference to her decision and that's fine - I know I'm not being let go as a result of the pregnancy.

The redundancy package they have offered me is one month's pay for each year I've been there - five months pay in total. I know this is very generous as they could have just given me statutory redundancy pay.

My last day in the office will be 15th December, so by the time I start another job I won't qualify for SMP, but will get MA.

My question is - has this happened to anyone else, and if so, what package did you get? Are there any legal eagles out there who think I might be able to get more, based on the fact that it will now be more difficult for me to get a job because I'm preggers (yes, I know it's illegal to turn someone down because they're pregnant, but the fact remains that if they interview two people with exactly the same qualifications and one of them's pregnant, they'll choose the non-pregnant one!).

I realise this sounds really grasping, but please don't flame me - me losing my job will make a real dent in the household income and we need all the pennies we can get. I work for a really big company who can easily afford it, so it's not like I'm trying to bankrupt a little charity or family business.

That's a fairly generous offer.

In short, no. I think you'd find it next to impossible to get more money as the pregnancy didn't factor into the redundancy procedures so unless you think there is another reason the selection was unfair.

Sorry.

To add though that as you're on notice they have to give you time reasonable off for interviews. So if you got another job before you started showing.

I think what you've got is a good deal and you won't get more, realistically, without a nasty and long fight. Oh, and you might get less. Or nothing.

They didn't know you were pregnant when they restructured, so no way can it be because of that. The relocated job is too far because of your childcare arrangments, not becasue they didn't give you a chance to think about whether you wanted it.

Five months is, quite frankly, masses. Plus presumably some/all of it is tax free, making it worth more than that (because you'd only take home the net money if you were still working).

Take it, before they change their minds!

Yes, I thought this would be the case - just didn't want to throw my hand in if it turned out that standard practice was to offer more.

Thanks for the advice!

The stuff about it being harder for you to get another job would only be relevant if they had done something unfair in the redundancy and so you had a potential unfair dismissal/discrimination claim against them. Nothing you have said suggests that, so anything above notice plus statutory redundancy pay is a good result. Your package sounds very generous. Don't worry you are folding too easily.

The exact same thing happened to me two years ago; boss told me my role was under threat of redundancy, then the next day I found out I was pregnant.

I got a lot of legal advice and the deal you have is very good so I would just take it.

I was offered 6 months pay, then with the SMA, I wasn't significantly worse off than if I hadn't been made redundant (save money on childcare for DC1 as you'll be home).

Only problem was our mortgage deal finished during that time and it was not easy to re-mortgage with just one salary.

I'm in a similar position. I found out I was 5 weeks pregnant and two days later was told that the Company is closing and I will be made redundant.

I was hoping our redundancy package would be one month pay for every year worked like yours, sadly we only get one week for every year worked which is basically a months pay for me.

I'm quite concerned about how we'll manage but by the time the Company closes I will be at 14 weeks and would feel very uncomfortable applying for new jobs without being upfront about my position and then where does that leave you? They're not going to appoint a pregnant woman against someone who isn't. Anti-discrimination laws or not.

I love my job, have always worked and will struggle immensely to adjust. I'm looking into freelance opportunities and short term contracts to tide me over but it is very slim pickings in my field at the moment.

It would just be nice to hear from anyone in a similar situation and what approach they took to finding work.