Want to knoe what Mat Pay is available, but don't want to talk to personnel!

[M2T]

Hi folks, as a few of you may know DH and I are planning for number 2 child.

I have been trying to find out what the Maternity Pay is from my work, but all I can find on the company intranet is information on SMP. It says that this is the basic rate, but to find out what else you are entitled to speak to the Personnel Dept.

I don't want to talk to them as I am not pg yet and haven't even told my family I am trying to conceive! It is an incredibly personal thing and feel that I shouldn't have to go begging personnel for this information.

Plus, I think it may jeopardise my position here. Its a hugely male orientated industry I'm working in and no matter what the law is or what my rights are, there are ways of getting rid pf me if word gets out I'm trying for a baby.

How can I find out what I will be entitled to?

I don't know anyone very well here that I could perhaps ask casually.

WHY WHY WHY haven't they published the full Maternity company policy on the intranet? Is this legal??

This is b**y typical. It might be that the company only do SMP. Do you have a contract that you can look at to see what is covered?
If you'd keep trying even if you only get the basic rate SMP I'd keep your head down and wait until you are pregant before asking - harder to sack you then as its more obviously discriminatory... its really crap though. Several of my friends have had huge hassles with finding out what they are entitled to and they are 7 months pregnant! The info should be readily available, but hard to see what you can do about it now without breaking cover.

Do These pages help?

M2T my co publishes it's basic policy on the intranet but the full one in the company handbook. Does your co have such a thing?

Miranda2 - That's what I thought. It may just be SMP.... which is all I got last time coz I was a Contractor. But it does say on the intranet that you have to speak to Personnel to find out your full entitlement, implying that you may get more if you've been with the company more than a year etc etc...

It is just SO frustrating.

What is the SMP at the moment. I know that it was 90% pay for 6 weeks then £75 (??) a week for a further 18 weeks. I was wondering if it had changed.

Cheers Zebra! I'll have a look at this.

CD - I don't think they do, but I will ask.

SMP has now gone up to the heady sum of £100 per week

SMP has now gone up to the heady sum of £100 per week, I believe

Zebra that's a useful link thanks.

Does anyone know when your employer can start your maternity leave? My job situation is a little complex as I work as a consultant onsite, about 150 miles away from my employer's office. I moved here 2 years ago as it was a long term contract.

The contract is finishing at the end of the year (I'll be about 14 weeks by then). Clearly I do not want to travel 150 miles to work or to be away from home all week. As I nearly went into labour early last time due to overdoing it, I don't think I'd find it hard to get my doctor to write a note suggesting I do not travel beyond what I do now. So IMO there's a possibility that my employer could be forced to leave me on full pay at home unless they find me a job round here. Clearly they can't make me redundant as it would directly be because I can't travel due to pregnancy. But when would they start my maternity leave in that situation? And once the baby is born can they then make me redundant (this would be OK since I know it's coming - just trying to put it off until I need to!)

Anyone got any ideas on how I can wangle this one to my advantage?

They can insist you start your mat leave at 29 weeks if you are off at any point because of a pregnancy related illness.

Freddiecat - can't help you mucj on that one, but I was under the impression that you won't get Mat Pay until 11 weeks before the due date. So 29 wks pregnant is the earliest you can leave and still qualify for Mat Pay..... I think.

£100! Thats a bit better than I thought.
Still a huuuuuuuuuge drop in pay though. DH needs a payrise!

M2T, I work in a similar job so know what you mean about it jeopardising your position. If I were in your position I wouldn't ask to be honest. Is there any other female staff that has returned from Mat Leave that you can ask? I'm due to start Mat Leave in a few weeks and will be the second person here ever to take it, and being the only female doing my job ever I can tell you the guys are not impressed with me(jealous maybe??).

A few questions though - Will it make a difference to you TTC if you know that you will get either SMP or more?
If it doesn't then can you assume the worst case scenario, i.e. you get just SMP and try to budget accordingly, then anything else you get will be a bonus.
Could you manage to live on your DH's wage alone and save your's for a few months (probably impossible I know, but anything at all would be better than nothing)?
BTW congrats on your wedding

m2t don't forget that you will also get tax rebates depending on when in the year you go on mat leave. I went at the beginning of August and ended up with lots of tax rebate each month.

Also, your company may, like mine, keep all benefits going during mat leave, so for eg I still got my car allowance and my pension, private healthcae etc.

freddiecat - where i work it is 34 wks that they can start your maternity leave. duno if thats general or just my job

34 wks when they can start it automatically if you are off for a pregnancy related illness i mean

it is 36 weeks now - ie 4 weeks before the expected week of birth.

You can chose to start your maternity leave at 29 weeks but your employer can't insist you start until you are 36 weeks pg.

Incidentally by law they have to keep any benefits going while you are on ordinary maternity leave.

If you go off work with a pregnancy related illness when you had intimated that you wanted to work beyond 29 weeks, it is now 34 weeks that you would be put onto mat leave. If you had preg related illness between 29 and 34 weeks then you would get sick pay.

Mears - that was what I mant to say but not quite so eloqunetly as you have!
It's been a long day.....

,,,as you can see from the rubbish typing......

Yes thats right Mears (I tried to check whether it was 34 or 36 weeks on the dti site but it was having an off day so put what I thought was right but it was slightly wrong)

Mears, and JulieF, It used to be 6 weeks before the expected date of birth, but changed to four weeks before the expected date of birth from April 2003 - here is the dti link (see page 46 of the booklet).

M2T ? doesn't it say on your contract exactly what you're entitled to? It does on mine.

CountessDracula, can you explain about the tax rebates you mention? who is entaitled to that?

(or are you talking about the child tax credit?

Statutory Maternity Pay is paid by your employer for 26 weeks provided you meet the qualifying conditions based on length of service (26 weeks before the qualifying week - 15th week before the week in which your baby is due)and average earnings. SMP is paid at 90% of your salary for the first 6 weeks and a flat rate for the remaining period of £100 per week or 90% of your earnings if this is less than £100 per week. I hope that helps!