Home , Child Trust Fund , Sports Clubs , Time Out , News Archive , Freedom Of Information , NCODP Meeting , Did you know , Grants/Charities , Consumer , Youth News , Education , Health , Getting around , Immigration , Relationships , Housing , Employment , Why Vote , Noticeboard , Links Page , GM Foods , How Sorted R U? , R U Sorted? Quiz , Problem Page , Police , Benefits ,
There are many times when you can quite properly ask your employer for time off work, either because they are laid down by law or they are in your contract, for some of these the law says you will be paid and for others you can have the time off but you won’t be paid. Some of these times will seem odd but you will notice there are some things missing like hospital appointments or the dentist.
Everything on these pages is the minimum that everybody is entitled to by law your contract can give you better than this BUT cannot give you less.
Pregnancy and Maternity Leave
Once you've told your employer that you are pregnant a whole set of rights kick in but one of the main ones is time off for ante-natal classes and for you to be paid your normal rate for the time off. If your employer refuses to pay then you may have a case to take to an Employment Tribunal (ET) for unauthorised deduction of wages and possibly sex discrimination. It is always best to try and sort things out with your employer before going to the ET.
Providing you have worked for your employer for the right amount of time you will be entitled to 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave during which time you will be entitled to a minimum of Statutory Maternity Pay click here to see what you are entitled to. Your contract may give you better rights than the legal minimum so check with your HR department or read your contract.
You will also be entitled to another 26 weeks of additional maternity leave but you will not be paid for this time but you may be entitled to some benefits but that will depend on your individual circumstances.
For more information on your Maternity Rights have a look at this government website www.tiger.gov.uk. The information is written in an easy to understand style and has an interactive calendar that will help in planning your maternity leave and return to work dates.
Adoption
If you are adopting you will have fairly similar rights to time off and pay to Maternity Leave.
Paternity Leave
Dads aren’t forgotten and are entitled to 2 weeks paternity leave around the time of the birth or adoption of the child, this is paid, at the moment the minimum amount is £102.80 or 90% of weekly wage, which ever is lower. To get paid paternity leave you will have had to work for the company for at least a year. Again check your contract to see if it offers something better.
Parental Leave
The basics of this are that you can have up to 13 weeks unpaid parental leave up to the child’s 5th birthday providing you have worked for the employer for a year. This is not a one off you gat another 13 weeks for other children, if there is a multiple birth then you will get 13 weeks for each child. There are special rules surrounding adoption and disabled children. For more information click here.
Family Emergency?
You never know when you might need to take time off when some thing untoward happens to a member of the family and this is where you have the right to take time off to deal with it and you can’t be penalised by your employer for taking the time off, providing your reasons for taking it are genuine
So what counts as an emergency?
An emergency is when someone who depends on you
Disclaimer, Target Audience, Jurisdiction Last updated & checked: 24/03/2006