Additional Maternity Leave

Kim

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I have the option of taking an additional 6 months off work (1 yr in total) but it will be unpaid. Does anyone know if there are any benefits available in those 6 months if I intend to return to work?
 
it would be great if there was..... i really want the full year off, but looks like i can't afford it. can barely afford the 6 months on statutory pay.... it's rubbish isn't it?!
 
I dont think you can claim benefits as technically you are employed and you opted to take 6 months unpaid, I also have that option dont know if I can afford the whole year although where I work you get enhanced benefits, but would maybe take an extra couple of months.
 
Hi,

I know this thread was posted ages ago but I just thought I'd add that I'm pretty sure that the government has passed something that means that you acrue leave at a rate of 1.5 days per 4 weeks unpaid leave during Additional Maternity Leave which you can in some cases tag onto the end of your leave or get a lump sum. My personnel department said this was a government policy not theirs so I guess it goes across the board? The thing is that your job is still open should you want to return- I guess that's the main advantage.

+++
 
hi,

ive just been told that in october 05 they are changing the amount of paid maternity leave. instead of the usuall 6mths they are changing it 2 9mths. (god i hope so.) :D also think they are changing fathers 2 3wks instead of 2. i would like 2 have a full yr off with baby, but can not afford 2. but hopefully if all changes 9mths is better than 6.

take care
claire
xxx
 
You are dead right charlie_chalk. They are changing the amount of paid maternity leave, though I'm not sure when.

There will be the same amount of pay per week as now, but you can have 9 months instead of 6. But the really good news is that you can choose to go back work after 6 months, and during those 6 months, you will get an increased amount of pay. So basically you will get the same amount all-in-all that the mums who are choosing 9 months, but a larger amount each week over a shorter period of time.

This will help the people (like me) who are already panicking how they are going to manage for the 6 months. I know I am still ttc, but I am the major wage earner. I earn more than double what my dh does, and his wages and my maternity pay won't even pay the rent and bills. Never mind food, nappies, petrol (don't get me started on that one - went and filled my car last night and it was 98.9p per litre!!!), clothes, etc, etc, etc. If I can get the increased amount over the 6 months and time it right with my holiday I accrue from work, we should just about be able to manage.
 
Hi

Any idea's when the 9 months maturnity pay will begin? I've heard about it on the news quite a while back but i've not heard anything since. At the moment where still on 6 months, aren't we? Which is paid £100 a week. How crap is that! I think the first 4 or 6 weeks we get 90% of our wages. If anyone knows the full story will you let us know.

Thanks

Hayley
 
You're entitled to 90% of your wages for 6 weeks, if you worked for your employer before you became pregnant and then entitled to 20 weeks at £106.

I don't think that the new maternity rights will come into force for a while, certainly not in time for when my bub is due!
 
I've just found this on the Labour Party's website:

We have recently announced that from April 2007 we will increase maternity leave from six to nine months. This will be worth £1,400 to new mums and will give parents more valuable time with their new baby. And by the end of the next Parliament we will increase paid maternity leave even further to a year.

We’ve increased help in other areas too. We have given fathers two weeks paid paternity leave. And from April child benefit will rise to £17 a week for the first child – a 25% increase since 1997 - and £11.40 a week for other children.


So, unfortunately, this won't help most of us :-(
 

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