Valuing Maternity launch new guide for working mothers

Story published on Women's Views on News, October 4, 2012

A new campaign aims to tell working mothers their rights

The Valuing Maternity campaign has launched a new video offering advice to working women who are pregnant or new mothers.

More than 30,000 women lose their jobs each year after becoming pregnant and a further 200,000 face unfair treatment as a result of their pregnancy.

In this seven-minute video, solicitor Camilla Palmer, and advice worker Roz Hampson, explain what maternity discrimination is and how you can fight it.

Rebecca Raven, a former teacher who lost her job shortly after announcing she was pregnant, also tells of how she took her employer to an Industrial Tribunal.

“Any unfavourable treatment of a woman who is on or has been on maternity leave is unlawful,” says Palmer in the video.

Palmer believes maternity discrimination is on the increase due to the recession and that employers are often using redundancy as an excuse to get rid of women who are pregnant.

It is, says Palmer, increasingly seen as acceptable for employers to say; “Why would I employ a woman of child-bearing age because of the inconvenience to my business.”

Raven tells how she was handed a letter from the Headteacher of the school she taught at, terminating her employment just three days after she announced she was pregnant.

“At three months pregnant the last thing you expect is for someone to turn round and tell you they are taking away your income and your main source of stability,” she says.

“It was a very harrowing time and not something I would want anyone else to go through.”
Raven also tells of how she lost weight during her pregnancy, and of the long wait for the industrial tribunal.

Hampson advises women to make sure they know their rights before telling their employer they are pregnant. Women should also prepare for problems and make sure they put everything in writing, and ask for written agreements from their employer.

She also urges women to join a union and check their home insurance policy to make sure they have legal cover to cover legal expenses and seek advice quickly.

“Women should join the Valuing Maternity Campaign. 

“We at Maternity Action can give individual women advice about their problems, but we know that with the recession maternity discrimination is getting worse and the government should do something about it.  Now is the time to act,” she said.