Contract terminated early - after asking for flexible working

[newbie83]

Hi Mums,

Any HR specialists in the house? I am pregnant and was due to go on maternity leave on 4 March. My contract has just been terminated early through no fault of my own - simply because they are wanting to restructure/put resource elsewhere.

It means that I am leaving 2 weeks earlier than i am meant to which is not ideal as we needed the money (especially as i dont have a job to go back to!) Are they allowed to do this? Coincidentally, it seemed to happen after i requested to work from home a couple of days a week due to finding the commute tough!

I have a meeting with them tomorrow so i would really appreciate it if there is anyone out there who knows my rights.

From speaking to citizens advice, the are allowed to terminate my contract. The sticky bit is that it is in response to a request for flexible working. ie they have not responded to the request and have just terminated a day later.

I am in a very similar situation.
I called citizens advice - they are right i think that within the first 2 years of work you have no real protection UNLESS you are pregnant or adopting a child. Though of course its hard to prove why you lost your job.
They advised me to contact Maternity Action - they were very helpful and talked me through the next steps....they are open wed, thurs, fri. google for the contact details....

I'm confused, you say you were going on maternity leave in March but then say you are "leaving 2 weeks earlier than i am meant to". When is your employment ending and when were you expecting it to end?

You say you are concerned that you were dismissed because you put in a flexible working request. Was this for flexible working on your return from maternity leave? Seems reasonable for them not to deal with a flexible working request if your employment is coming to an end.

How long have you worked there?

Why were you leaving in two weeks - to go on maternity leave or was this the end of your contract? What dates did/does you contract run from and to?

The ACAS helpline is free and employment specialised. Arm yourself with your contract terms and give them a call.