Maternity Leave & Contract

[Saundy]

I work for a small charity that is doing ok but is by no means secure in the long term.

I have worked there a few years & am finally being made full time in a few months. I have nothing in writing to confirm this & no contract, even for my original post. The verbal offer was made a week before I found out I was PG.

I have a copy of an old organisational employment contract which I was told would in all likelihood remain unchanged but for one reason & another contracts were never issued.

The maternity scheme is quite generous (12 at full pay & 6 at 50%) & was obvs written in better financial times.

I haven't told anyone I'm pregnant yet, I'm very early on. I have a good relationship with my boss which I don't want to jeopardise by seeming underhand in insisting on a new contract & then telling. If they try to change the terms I'm sure it will be more because of what can be afforded, but by the same token I can't afford to take a pay hit & it is what would have been in my original contract.

The more notice I give the better it can be planned for.

They've always been great employers, should I just trust? My fears are being told I can no longer go full time or having the maternity section of the contract revised.

I intend to only take the 21 weeks, using my contact days to go in & help out as well as do some work from home & then return full time.

I don't think there's anything wrong in asking for your hours increase to be confirmed in writing, and asking for a contract at the same time. That's not underhand.

Being somewhere a few years without them bothering to issue you your contract is very rubbish of them, particularly as there is one available - it's not as if they don't have one they could give you (not that that would be an excuse anyway).

If your post is becoming a full time one rather than part time, do you really think they would change that based on your pregnancy? Surely either the extra hours will be there or they won't be?

It's a full time job I've been struggling to do in part time hours. Due to issues with my other part time job ending I asked for the increase & was given it (as I'd said I would have to go elsewhere for full time hours if not).

It was a case of budgets being looked at and shuffled to accommodate me. Budgets will have to be looked at again to accommodate my maternity leave, there is no doubt about that. As with all charities there is not a great deal of money to play with right now.