Interviewing whilst on Maternity leave

[Mumblepot26]

Ok mumsnetters I could really do with your knowledge/experience on this one. I work in a skilled job in the NHS, I am currently on maternity leave and not due to return until March 2015. The team I work in have just been told they will have to re interview for their posts. Those who are unsuccessful will be down graded.

I want to know where I stand, can my employer force me to attend for interview whilst I am on maternity leave? Has anyone been through this themselves? Or does anyone have any professional knowledge of this kind of situation?

I went through similar but not nhs ( public sector though) and got slotted into a post without an interview.

Thank you Oodlives, was the post you were slotted into at the same salary level? Was the post very different?

It's the same post just with a new job title. They merged 4 roles into one but the end role was pretty much the same as my original one. I got the same salary but the some of other merged posts came from a higher salary. They were protected for a year though

Thank you Oodlives

If the role is basically the same, you must be slotted. No interview or anything.

Thank you rally tog, have you had personal experience of this situation?

I think they have an obligation to put you in a similar post/salary after maternity leave, but not necessarily the post you left.

Yes mumble - If you're going to be made redundant while you're on maternity leave and there is a suitable alternative role available, you have to be slotted into it, ahead of others who aren't on maternity leave. Of course, the sticky but comes in defining what counts as a suitable alternative role, but from what you've said, it sounds like the roles available are more or less the same as they are now. So your employer shouldn't be able to wangle around that.

Hopefully being an nhs organisation, they'll be on top of this, but it doesn't hurt to know your rights. Look at adviceguide or maternity action, where you'll find plenty of info.

Maternity action are great. I had this situation last year when pregnant - my employer tried to make me redundant and offer the new job to an external candidate. very naughty! They insisted it was not suitable alternative I argued it was. Eventually they gave me notice, I appealed and when they knew I was serious about potentially raising a claim against them they backed down and gave me the job!