Maternity leave and holiday allowance

[micegg]

I am fortunate that I get full pay for 9 months on maternity leave and I have a generous leave allowance of 5 weeks per year. However, I have just noticed in the maternity leave policy that it says we only accrue annual leave during the paid 9 months but nothing for the final 3 months of the 12 months mat leave. I am sure I have read somewhere that we should at least get the minimum leave allowance during that time, I beleive this is 4.8 weeks a year which would be 1.2 weeks for the final 3 months of mat leave. I just need to check my information is correct. If so, has anyone got any advice on how to approach work to change this?

Thanks

They don't have to give you the enhanced Holiday just Stat minimum as you have said. You are therefore correct and should go and tell them they are wrong

micegg if in doubt show them a link here or if they want something more official -looking, paragraph 'annual leave and maternity leave'.

Can I just clarify something as it seems some of the legislation changed from April 2007: I am going to take a year off. Am I right in saying that would be 26 weeks ordinary mat leave followed by 26 weeks additional mat leave? As I get additional annual leave (5 weeks per year which does not include bank holidays instead of 4.8 for Stat leave) my company are saying I can accrue the enhanced annual leave during the paid period of 9 months which would be 3.75 weeks. However, what they should be offering is the enhamced annual leave for the first 26 weeks (ordinary mat leave) which would be 2.5 weeks plus the stat min for the final 26 weeks (additional mat leave) which would be 2.4 weeks which totals 4.9 weeks. Obvioulsy this would give me just over an extra week of holiday allowance.

Thanks

micegg yep 26 weeks ordinary and 26 weeks additional. So you should get your normal contractual entitlement for the first 26 weeks, 2.5 weeks plus bank holidays on top, then 2.4 weeks for the second 26 weeks, so in total during your maternity leave you should accrue 4.9 weeks plus 6 months worth of bank holidays which you normally get on top if I am understanding correctly.

Hope that's clear, it's complicated isn't it?!

you are definately entitled to statutory holiday in the additional maternity leave period.

do your employers have a(n) HR department?

Yes they do. And the worrying thing is I work for the Home Office! . Will be getting my info together and speaking to someone next week. Thanks everyone.