Pregnancy At Work: Mums-To-Be Still Getting A Rough Deal

Despite advancements in medicine, technology and just about everything else, attitudes towards pregnant women at work still mirror that of the 1970s, a new report reveals.

The study, conducted by Trades Union Congress (TUC), has revealed that despite laws designed to protect pregnant women from ill treatment at work, many mums-to-be are still being sacked, bullied and sidelined.

The 'Pregnancy Test: Ending Discrimination at Work for New Mothers' report, which is being launched in London today, highlights that the number of pregnant women being unfairly treated is obvious from the rise in the number of cases taken to employment tribunal.

Complaints from pregnant women soared by a fifth during the recession and stats show that between 2008 and 2013, over 9,000 women took their employers to a tribunal – legalities that heavily pregnant women or new mums with a baby to take care of really shouldn't have to deal with.

And tribunal cases aren’t cheap, ever since fees were introduced last year – setting women back around £1,200.

Everything from being sacked for expecting a baby, to being on the receiving end of nasty comments and being prevented from attending antenatal appointments were listed in the complaints.

“The law might have changed 40 years ago, but the way many employers behave when they discover an employee is pregnant suggests they are stuck in a 1970s time warp – back to an age when starting a family meant the end of paid work for women,” says Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary.

“This report shows that for many women what should be one of the happiest times of their lives soon becomes full of anxiety and stress – one where bullying, harassment and ill-treatment in the workplace is an unacceptably common experience.

“More needs to be done to drag old-fashioned employers into the 21st century so that mothers who work are as valued by their bosses as working fathers.”

So What Exactly Are Pregnant Women’s Rights In The Work Place?

Charity Maternity Action provides lots of brilliant information on how you can make sure your rights are protected at work – and what to do if they’re not.

Revealing Your Pregnancy
You don’t have to let your employer know you’re pregnant immediately, but it needs to be 15 weeks before your due date. However, if you let your employer know sooner, it will make booking paid time off for antenatal appointments much simpler.

Starting Your Maternity Leave
You can start your maternity leave 11 weeks before your due date – when you’re around 29 weeks pregnant.

Or you can work until your little one arrives, unless you have a pregnancy-related illness in the last four weeks of your pregnancy. If you do, your boss is able to start your maternity leave – even if you are off sick for just one day.

Checking For Risks
By law, your boss has to do a workplace risk assessment, to check for any potential risks to you. If anything crops up, your employer is required to do everything reasonably possible to remove or reduce the risks found.

Booking Time Off
Obviously you’ll have a fair amount of antenatal appointments that you’ll need to miss work for and your employer has to allow for this (including travel time) – without docking your wages.

Next year, dads will be allowed time off to attend two antenatal appointment – but this will be unpaid.

If you need to have time off because of a pregnancy complication or illness, then make sure it’s recorded separately and not included in your total sickness tally.

Redundancies And Dismissals
The law protects you from being dismissed or discriminated against on the grounds of pregnancy once your employer knows that you’re pregnant. If you are fired after revealing your pregnancy or during your maternity leave, then your boss has to explain the reason for your dismissal in writing.

[Maternity Leave Putting A Financial Strain On Families – Leaving Them £537 Short Each Month]
[New Mummy Blog: Balancing My Work And Family Life]

Has your employer’s attitude towards you changed since you announced your pregnancy? Let us know in the comments.