A bag of rights and benefits you might be entitled to when you are pregnant

You have the right to take reasonable time off for your antenatal appointments, including time needed to travel to your clinic or GP, without loss of pay.

You should let your employer know when you need time off. For appointments after the first one, your employer can ask to see your appointment card and a certificate stating that you are pregnant.

Antenatal care includes parentcraft and relaxation classes. You may need a letter to show your employer from your GP or midwife, saying that these classes are part of your antenatal care.

Health and safety rights
If you are pregnant, have recently given birth or are breastfeeding, your employer must make sure that the kind of work you do and your working conditions will not put your, or your baby’s, health at risk. To get the full benefit of this legal protection you must notify your employer in writing that you are pregnant or have recently given birth or are breastfeeding. Your employer must:

• carry out a risk assessment at your workplace and do all that is reasonable to remove or reduce the risks found
• if there are still risks, alter your working conditions or hours of work to remove the risk.
• If this is not possible or would not avoid the risk, your employer must offer you a suitable alternative job
• If this is not possible your employer must suspend you on full pay for as long as is necessary to avoid the risks

Dismissal or unfair treatment
It is against the law for your employer to treat you unfairly, dismiss you or select you for redundancy for any reason connected with pregnancy, childbirth or maternity leave. If you are dismissed while you are pregnant or during your maternity leave, your employer must give you a written statement of the reasons.

If you are dismissed or treated unfairly, you must put in your claim to the Employment Tribunal within three months. Any claim will probably include a claim for compensation for sex discrimination.

Redundancy
You have special rights if you are made redundant whilst on maternity leave. Contact the Maternity Alliance for the leaflet Redundancy, which covers your rights in detail. You can download the fact sheet for free from the Maternity Alliance website.

Breastfeeding
Health and safety rights described above also apply to women who are breastfeeding.

Part-time work
Parents of children under six have the right to ask to work part-time or reduced hours. Your employer can only refuse if there is good business reason why your job could not be done in this way. For more information, please send £2 and an A5 SAE for the Maternity Alliance leaflet Child-Friendly Working Hours.

Parental leave and time off for dependants
The parents of every child born on or after 15 December 1999 are entitled to take up to 13 weeks’ unpaid leave per parent per child, up until the child’s 5th birthday. This leave is also available for parents who adopt a child.

Paternity leave
Working fathers are now entitled to two weeks paid leave around the birth of a baby. They'll get £102.80 per week and from 2003 adoptive parents will also qualify for paid leave.

Time off for dependants
Every worker is entitled to unpaid leave to care for a dependant who falls ill, gives birth or is injured. The leave can also be used if there is a sudden problem with arrangements for care of the dependant (e.g. if your childminder falls ill).

For more information on parental leave, paternity leave and time off for dependants send £2 and an A5 SAE for the Maternity Alliance leaflet Time off for Working Parents.

Benefits
All pregnant women and new mothers are entitled to free prescriptions and free NHS dental care. Once your baby is born you will also be entitled to claim Child Benefit. Working Families Tax Credits is to top up the incomes of working parents. The amount you get depends on how much you earn and on how many children you have.

Sickness
You have special rights if sick during pregnancy, maternity leave and on return to work. For more information, pelase send £1 and an SAE for the Maternity Alliance leaflet Sickness During Pregnancy and Maternity Leave.

Job interviews
You do not have to tell a future employer you are pregnant when you go for a job interview. The fact that you are pregnant should not have any bearing on whether you are the right person for the job.

Need More Help?
If you need more detailed information on any of the topics mentioned here, please send for the relevant leaflets.

If you are having trouble settling a dispute with your employer, you may want to get further advice. See our leaflet Next Steps. For more detailed information see the publications page on the Maternity Alliance website. You may find the following leaflets of interest:

• Pregnant at work - rights for working parents - £2
• Time off for antenatal care - £1
• Health and safety at work - £1
• Taking your case to an Employment Tribunal - £1
• Redundancy - free
• Returning to work - £1
• Having it all - your guide to breastfeeding and work - £2.50
• Child-friendly working hours - £1
• Time off for working parents - £2
• Money for Mothers and Babies - free guide to benefits
• Sickness during pregnancy and maternity leave - £1
• Job interviews - and starting a new job during pregnancy - £1
• Giving notice for maternity and parental rights - £1

For more information about working parents’ rights see the Maternity Alliance website.

Or contact THE MATERNITY ALLIANCE,
2-6 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0AY
Information line 020 7490 7638