Can I be the only one excluded from a pay rise if I am on maternity leave?
Whilst on maternity leave, an employee’s terms and conditions continue as normal. The...read more
I would like to start a family as soon as possible, but I am training to be a pharmacist and it has been quite long winded. I will be starting a fixed term full-time employment as a pre-registration pharmacist with my current employer. I have been trying to explore the possibility of conceiving during these 12 months and how this would effect my eligibility for SMP and continuing my training after maternity leave. Those on the training can bank 13, 26 and 39 weeks of training if they ever need to take a break or change training provider. This also includes pregnancy and maternity, but most circumstances depend on the employer as maternity rules still stand. If I was to go on maternity leave during my pre-registration year, I would probably fall pregnant before my fixed-term contract started. Will I still qualify for SMP if I had been employed by them part time since November last year or would I have to fall pregnant in the fixed term contract? If my maternity leave extended past July 2019, would the employer still have to pay me SMP following the normal end date? Would they still be able to terminate the contract in July 2019 as normal or would they have to take me back on, which would allow me to complete the training with that provider?
Thank you for your query which I understand relates to your entitlement to SMP and what would happen to your fixed-term contract if the end of it coincided with a period of maternity leave. Without seeing your contract of employment it is difficult to give a definitive answer to these questions as it is your employment contract, rather than the pharmacy pre-regulation manual, which is the starting point for such a query as it would reveal the start date for your continuous period of employment – which is key for calculating SMP – and whether the contract is a fixed-term contract or not. However, I have attempted to give some general answers which I hope will assist:
*Lucy Flynn assisted in answering this question.