Unfair redundancies and new mothers

Recently, the charity Maternity Action have released a report on the impact of unfair redundancies on pregnant women and new mothers. The report calls on the Government to act urgently on its commitment to review redundancy protection, which was made in January 2017 but is yet to be acted upon.  

The report found that one in every twenty mothers is made redundant during their pregnancy, maternity leave or return to work. Maternity Action claims some of these redundancies are discriminatory and many are unfair.

It is recommended within the report that the UK adopts a similar approach to that of Germany who say that women must not be made redundant from the time they notify their employers they are expecting a baby through to six months after returning to work (apart from in certain circumstances).

Vaishali Thakerar, Head of Lawson-West’s Employment Department, states that this treatment is surprisingly common and that she and her team help many women who find themselves in this predicament. It is shocking that so many women are treated in this way in this day and age.

If you feel that you are, or have been, made redundant due to your pregnancy/maternity leave then please contact a member of our expert team. We have offices in Leicester, Wigston and Market Harborough and offer a number of drop-in sessions where you can receive complimentary legal advice.

You can contact us on 0116 212 1000 / 01858 445 480 or complete a contact form on our website.

 

 

View all