Can i be made redundant when pregnant

Have a question or need some help? Call us today on With QualitySolicitors your first initial assessment is free, so you can call us without worrying about being charged for a call you might not have actually needed to make.

And because we place our clients are at the heart of everything we do, we make these five customer service promises to make sure you'll feel properly looked after. We're a countrywide network of law firms with all the expert resources needed to provide specialist legal advice on a local basis for individuals and businesses alike. Have you ever wanted to just ask a lawyer if they can help you, without worrying about what it may cost to contact them?

If so, call QualitySolicitors and together we can work out what your next steps might be At QualitySolicitors, our Free Initial Assessment promise puts you directly in touch with a local law firm who will happily talk to you for free to clarify how they can help you. We promise to confirm the full costs you can expect before we begin any work and keep you informed throughout. QualitySolicitors law firms know that when you need to meet with a solicitor, finding time during office hours can prove impractical.

Home Services for you Consumer rights Consumer rights. Consumer issues - goods and services Data protection Human rights and discrimination Professional negligence Consumer rights Freedom of information Legal Advice for Students. Criminal defence. Actions against the police Criminal defence Motoring offences Arrest and prosecution Mortgage fraud Prison law. Employment Law. For instance, pregnancy-related sick leave, absence for prenatal appointment, or length of leave must not be taken into account.

Criteria that indirectly discriminate against women e. Also see our page on what to do if you are under threat of redundancy. If you are selected for redundancy during maternity leave, you must be offered any suitable alternative vacancies before other colleagues. There are similar requirements for shared parental and adoption leave. You do not have to apply or be interviewed for any suitable alternative vacancy but should be offered it over your colleagues.

Your employer also cannot wait until all available vacancies have been filled before determining whether there is a suitable alternative vacancy. To be a suitable alternative vacancy, the terms and conditions of the new job must not be substantially less than the old job.

This must be determined in each case considering your individual circumstances, and whether the new job is similar in terms of status, content, salary, hours and location.

If you are not offered a suitable vacancy, or your employer insists that you apply for an alternative role, you may have a claim for unfair dismissal so it is important to seek advice. Please note that you should make the decision to decline an offer for an alternative vacancy carefully. If your employer offers you a suitable alternative vacancy and you turn it down unreasonably you will lose your right to a redundancy payment. Whether it was reasonable for you to turn it down depends on your reasons and can include your health and your personal or family commitments.

Whether or not you receive redundancy pay and notice pay depends on how long you have worked for your employer. Your contract might also give you more than the legal minimum.

You should always check your contract to see what it says. For more information, see our FAQ on on redundancy and notice pay. You will be entitled to statutory redundancy pay if you have been employed by your employer for at least 2 years.

Your terms and conditions are continuous during family-related leave. Your employer must count leave as continuous employment for redundancy pay purposes even though you were not in work. If you are on family-related leave, your redundancy pay should be calculated based on your pay before your statutory leave period started.

If your contract provides for more generous pay, your redundancy pay should also not be calculated on this basis. If you returned to work on reduced hours or part-time after your leave period, your redundancy pay will be based on your pay at the time of the redundancy.

Your length of service will be based on how long you have been in your job including years working full-time and part-time. The rules around notice pay and family leave are complex and not clear. Your work status will affect the statutory benefits you are entitled to and your employment contact may offer enhanced benefits for you during your maternity leave, which you would lose if you were made redundant.

The key thing to consider is whether you are being made redundant for one of the three reasons listed above, or if you are being made redundant because you are pregnant.

For more information see Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination at Work. As part of any redundancy procedure, an employer is under an obligation to ensure that they explore alternative roles within the organisation as an alternative to redundancies.

In some cases, an employer will invite employees at risk of redundancy to apply for roles where there are more people at risk of redundancy than there are roles available. An employer is under an obligation to offer such a role to a pregnant employee in preference of other employees affected by the redundancy. If your employer refuses to appoint you to a role you feel would be suitable or insists that you have to interview for the role, you may have a claim for discrimination at work and automatic unfair dismissal.

If you think you are being made redundant because you are pregnant, you could have a claim for discrimination at work and automatic unfair dismissal. Your employer should have fair selection criteria which they will use to select who should be made redundant. These criteria could be:. Your employer should use a number of criteria to score each employee against to help them select for redundancy.

You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on or for Welsh language speakers. Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer. Top links Housing benefit. Top links Template letter to raise a grievance at work. Top links Our pensions advice Write a letter to your creditors.

Top links If you want a refund because of coronavirus Contact the consumer helpline Report to Trading Standards Problems with a used car Return faulty goods Buying a used car Your energy supply View all.

Housing Coronavirus - if you have problems with renting Renting privately Renting from the council or a housing association Homelessness Repairs in rented housing Renting a home Mortgage problems Discrimination in housing View all in Housing.

Family Living together, marriage and civil partnership How to separate Sorting out money Making agreements about your children If you were living together Death and wills Gender violence Children and young people View all in Family. Top links Making a will Complaining about social care services What does it mean to have power of attorney? Child abuse - advice and support Advice for people affected by child abuse. Law and courts Legal system Claiming compensation for a personal injury Discrimination Parking tickets Civil rights.

Top links Making a small claim Help for victims of rape and sexual violence.