Maternity leave stress! I'm trying not to freak out.

[Julia323]

So my employer has sold the business where I work. It has been purchased by a new owner and all employees are being terminated. The new owner apparently is hiring most of us back on under the "new business" and I am guaranteed that I am part of that group. Good right? Except that I need to have worked for a business for 13+ weeks to be elegible for Mat. leave from everything I've read or been told by those government people on the phone, and according to the date of transfer I will only have 8 weeks until my due date.

I've asked two different government branches to figure out what kind of a cr@ppy situation I'm really in, and for the most part I've been given the same answer. I've been told by one person that only the number of hours that I've worked matter, and that I can use both employers towards it, but only ONE person has said anything like this on the phone, and two other phone calls have basically told me I'm stuck.

So I might be in the position of taking my mat leave a month and a half sooner than anticipated. I can't afford to take that kind of a pay cut so soon!

I'm so frustrated and stressed out!!

 

[Sarah24]

Sounds like a pain in the bum : / can you take your holiday allowance as part of your leave to save money? My mat leave starts officially on my due date but took 2 weeks holiday at the beginning. What has your employer said? There must be a loophole somewhere xx

 

[chobette]

I don't have much advice, just wanted to wish you good thoughts and hope things work out for you. Maternity leave in certain areas are really crappy. Here in the US you are entitled to MAT leave only if you work for a place for a year and meet a minimum amount of hours. I know how you feel, xx