Redundancy before Maternity Leave
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hey, i’d contact acas/pregnant then screwed. im not sure 100% what the law is, but i think this sounds like discrimination? :(
This is really shitty, they are able to do this if they have a genuine business case and have followed procedures for selecting the employees fairly. I would make a note of anything that is mentioned surrounding your maternity and pregnancy incase it is discriminatory. If you’re employment is terminated after the 15th week before your due date your employer is still liable to pay you SMP, you shouldn’t have to negotiate this, they may offer to pay you in one bulk along side any redundancy, notice and holiday payments due. If they refuse to pay this you can make a claim to HMRC. Unfortunately I can’t advise on other benefits you could be entitled to. But would recommend checking out the maternity action website, it has loads of information regarding your rights while pregnant and employed. As well as reaching out to ACAS. https://www.maternityaction.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Redundancy-2018.pdf
I was made redundant at 26 weeks and 1 day 🤦♀️😅 Side note I was given job back after 2 weeks... don't even ask lol Can they offer you a similar job or a job elsewhere that suits your skill set? They have to offer you something else first If the company cannot afford to keep you on, and potentially going bust, apply for maternity pay and get an SMP1 to be completed by the employers. They have to explain why they cannot give you SMP. This is the same amount as SMP. If company not going bust, they must still pay you SMP - they claim it back from the giv so no loss to them. Additionally, apply for UC, depending on how far along you are they cannot force you to work elsewhere Also speak to ACAS to see if they can give you solid advice
You can still get your Statutory Maternity Pay if you are made redundant after approx. week 25 of your pregnancy or during your maternity leave. - https://maternityaction.org.uk/advice/redundancy-during-pregnancy-and-maternity-leave/
They'd still have to pay you maternity leave if they made you redundant, don't worry!
I was made redundant while pregnant and they still had to pay my maternity leave and just paid it off in one lump sum
I'm not sure if this is helpful. My husband was recently at risk of redundancy, as part of discussions with the people "advocating for colleagues" (can't remember the term!) it was mentioned that he might have been able to negotiate the paternity leave he would have been entitled to along with his redundancy package. He didn't lose his job in the end and I'm not sure if it would be the same with maternity, but could be worth looking into?