woman fired for being pregnant gets £10,000 payout

[hypnorm]

She is still waiting to be paid though...

https://www.thisisgloucestershire.c...-pregnant/article-1870788-detail/article.html

 

[NickyT75]

This is very interesting to me as I am currently in the process of taking my ex employer to tribunal for the same reason...

They have admitted liability for unfair dismissal/sex discrimination/sexual harassment/breach of contract but are refuting that they should pay me anything

My hearing was scheduled for 2wks time but im unable to attend as its in Newcastle & I have a growth scan in Cumbria on the same day so I think its gonna be postponed until after ive given birth (I was sacked in September so these things do tend to drag on)

Hopefully i'll get a decent amount as it will defo come in handy for the new baby xx

 

[broodylocket]

bad shes still waiting for it though.

 

[Blah11]

Think its a bit much to be blaming her miscarriage on it tbh. Yes the guy who sacked her is a nob but MCs happen unfortunately and its not nice to blame him for killing her baby :\

 

[special_kala]

fair enough the employer should have got a telling off and reinburse her for her lost pay but why does she need £10,000?

 

[Ley]

the same thing happened to me, except I was still on my probationary period. I was let go for being pregnant but there was nothing I could do.

I say good for her for fighting but at the same time parts of her story just don't add up. I don't know, I just get the feeling there is part of the story we are missing here.

and I agree she doesn't need £10,000

 

[NickyT75]

Its not a case of her "not needing 10 grand"

they broke the law by discriminating against her & sacking her for being pregnant!

there has to be a penalty to discourage employers from doing it to others & just awarding loss of earnings wouldnt 'cost them anything' so therefore wouldn't be much of a deterrent would it?

I agree that her story doesnt sound like all the facts are being covered but the fact remains that her employer was found guilty of unfair dismissal so she deserves compensation (not to mention the fact that she has had to pay solicitors fees to take action against them)

it is very traumatic being sacked for something which is not your fault & people should not be allowed to get away with treating pregnant women like crap

Im shocked at these responses tbh

 

[frouphea]

" but she told her new employer she wanted to add to her family when she was interviewed."

I wonder why she won the case - if they knew she was planning on having a baby, they wouldn't later sack her for being pregnant would they?

I agree it is harsh for her to blame them for her miscarriage.

Whilst it is probably harsh, I don't agree with a lot of the sex discrimination cases that go on. I don't really like the whole pregnancy rights thing anyway.

 

[NickyT75]

I don't really like the whole pregnancy rights thing anyway.

What do you mean hun? you dont think pregnant women should have rights? I dont understand

 

[frouphea]

I don't really like the whole pregnancy rights thing anyway.

What do you mean hun? you dont think pregnant women should have rights? I dont understand

It sometimes seems like pregnant workers are afforded more rights than other people, which I don't think is right. Equal rights should mean equal - fathers-to-be should have time off for antenatel appointments too, paternity leave should be better, there shouldn't be an increase in SMP/MA. Sometimes women think they are invincible because they are pregnant, or blame any 'unfair' treatment at work on the pregnancy. I think men and women should be equal in the workplace.

 

[coccyx]

Can u be sacked at all when pregnant? What if you are useless and lazy. Surely employer does not have to keep you on? Just curious as not sure

 

[NickyT75]

Can u be sacked at all when pregnant? What if you are useless and lazy. Surely employer does not have to keep you on? Just curious as not sure

if the employer has a valid reason for dismissing someone its ok I believe - but they have to be able to prove that it has nothing to do with the pregnancy

e.g. - the employee has been consistently a bad timekeeper & clock in records can be produced to back this up or they have made numerous mistakes in their work which they have been informed of & their standard of work has not improved (evidence would be required)

but there is a proper disciplinary procedure that needs to be followed - employee needs to be verbally warned, then issued with a written warning & final written warning before being dismissed (unless it can be proved they have committed gross misconduct that warrants instant dismissal)

 

[NickyT75]

I don't really like the whole pregnancy rights thing anyway.

What do you mean hun? you dont think pregnant women should have rights? I dont understand

It sometimes seems like pregnant workers are afforded more rights than other people, which I don't think is right. Equal rights should mean equal - fathers-to-be should have time off for antenatel appointments too, paternity leave should be better, there shouldn't be an increase in SMP/MA. Sometimes women think they are invincible because they are pregnant, or blame any 'unfair' treatment at work on the pregnancy. I think men and women should be equal in the workplace.

antenatal appts/paternity leave are not the issue here though

I agree SOME people may try to use their pregnancy as an advantage to get out of doing things etc... which is wrong

but genuine "unfair treatment" has to be proved & agreed as unfair by an independant tribunal

Each case is different & this is obviously a very touchy subject for me as im personally involved but in my case it was agreed by the tribunal that I was unfairly dismissed so I feel its unfair of people to (indirectly) imply that I am possibly using being pregnant as some kind of excuse for not being up to the job

I know we are not talking about my circumstances in this thread as its about someone else entirely but I feel like I need to explain things arent as cut & dried as people imagine and its not just a case of someone getting a big fat cheque that they dont deserve

hope this makes sense? im heavily pregnant therefore highly emotional

 

[Abz1982]

My friend was sacked for being pregnant - and it was deffo not because of her standard of work as they just promoted her, then the big boss came, commented on both her and her male equivalents work then she was told to leave that day as he had found out she was preggers. She has a very good case and is pursuing it.

 

[baby lulu]

pregnant women should have every right to fight for their rights!! more importantly now that their are so much discrimination at a work going around when your employer finds out your pregnant!

good luck Hun,

 

[aimee-lou]

NickyT - Good luck hun

I was bullied at work due to my pregnancy and in the end had to be signed off due to stress. I made a complaint and with the help of my union I got all my lost Earnings back from May-September.

Frouphea - While I agree that Pat rights are pitiful, you can't possibly think that maternity rights are overkill? At the end of the day a man cannot get pregnant, therefore a woman cannot fairly be judged due to a pregnancy. An employer has to give due care to a pregnant /nursing mother as a par for the course (this is where my employer fell down) as there are 2 lives which will be affected. Maternity pay, at whatever level, allows many families and many children to spend quality developmental time together - it's crucial to many children, it's not just 'free money'. In order to qualify you need to be a tax payer.....so in the same way as a pensioner is paid, mothers are quite rightly given this opportunity. I would have jumped at the chance of sharing this time off with my husband, but I have no qualms about claiming all 39 weeks of money that I am eligible for.

Sad to hear that so many people have problems of this nature, but I'm glad I followed my complaint up,and happy to see more women doing the same

 

[NickyT75]

Thanks for your support Baby lulu & aimee-lou xx

 

[ladyjayne]

fair enough the employer should have got a telling off and reinburse her for her lost pay but why does she need £10,000?

Seriously why does she need £10,000?? I looked at this and thought that was a pitiful amount. If she was a good employee and hadnt of had a child they'd have employed her and paid her wage which im assuming is going to be more than £10,000 a year, even if its not whose to say how many years she would have worked there and they've now denied her that right to earn it. What if now she struggles to find suitable employment? Especially in this climate - people are really struggling.