notice if having the year of maternity leave

[nicetosmile]

I'm not sure what my rights are in regards to maternity leave. I'm in an ongoing dispute with my employer at the moment in regards to a disciplinary that they tried to put on me before me starting my maternity leave. My employer keep sending me letters back and forth in regards to maternity leave. I'm getting stressed out because in my view all of this should've been all sorted out by my employer before I left them but now they are saying that I have to apply in writing (according to their policy) to them if I want to take the whole year. To top it off they've said that I have to do this by 24th June. My baby is due 28th April.

I checked on the goverment website and I was always lead to believe that you automatically get the year and that you have to give notice only if you return within the year??? Can anyone please clarify for me as I think I am going crazy!!

 

[emzul]

Hiya,

Got this from the direct gov website, you are right, they have to assume you are taking the full year off:

Giving notice of your return to work
Your employer will assume that you will take all 52 weeks of your Statutory Maternity Leave. If you take the full 52 weeks, you don’t need to give notice that you are coming back. However, it can be a good idea to do so.

If you wish to return earlier, for example, when your Statutory Maternity Pay ends, you must give at least eight weeks’ notice. If you don't, your employer can insist that you don’t return until the eight weeks have passed. You must tell your employer that you:

•are returning to work early
•want to change the date of your return
If you decide not to return to work at all, you must give your employer notice in the normal way.

Hope this helps! Why do employers feel the need to try and complicate things!!?!? Hope you get everything sorted with them xxx

 

[charli87]

exactly what the pp said they automatically take it as you will have the full year and its up to you if you decide to go back soon but you have to give them notice

 

[nicetosmile]

Thanks for the clarification.
It was a two page letter that they'd written. I showed this letter to my dad and he double checked what they wrote - the letter states that I can take a year from when the baby is born..... This to me is strange because I've already has some leave as I finished work on 24th Feb for early maternity leave.... said that they'll write to me in June and then I have to tell them what I intend to do.
It's annoying me because I've only got a few weeks until baby is born if that and feel that they are harassing me.

 

[charli87]

your mat leave starts when you stated you wanted it to? you sent a letter to them whilst you were working to state when you would be taking it from yeah? its then a year from that date, you dont have to tell them in june thats absolute cr*p unless they are paying you extra maternity above the statatory amount they might have a different policy but if its the basic maternity pay you having then you are taking what the law states so print the pages from the direct.gov website and give those to them