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Pregnancy and maternity

Your employment rights

What you need to know

 
Pregnancy and maternity at work - your employment rights
 
Pregnant women and new mothers have legal employment rights which are designed to protect their health and safety and that of their expected or new-born children.

These rights also protect their contractual terms and conditions of employment and are designed to prevent unlawful discrimination.

Pregnant women and new mothers have the right to:
 
  • paid time-off for ante-natal care
  • maternity leave
  • maternity pay
  • protection from unfair treatment or dismissal

Employers should never try to avoid these legal duties by simply refusing to employ any pregnant women, new mothers or women of child bearing age. Such a policy would certainly amount to direct or indirect discrimination on grounds of your gender (sex discrimination), pregnancy discrimination or maternity discrimination and is likely to be unlawful.
 

Frequently asked questions:

During your pregnancy

 

During your maternity leave

 

Returning to work after maternity leave

 
 


Quiz
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Further information:
 
 
Content correct as of February 2017
 
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