loss of job at nearly 9 weeks

[lulu]

Hi, I lost my job two days ago. Not 100% sure it was because Im pregnant but feel it is connected. I now have the stress of claiming benefits and worrying about bills rent etc. I seem to have had continuous stress lately!!!
Has anyone else been in this situation? how easy was it to get a new job? I have a history of depression which has reared its ugly head lately and I have not been feeling too well, I am also showing already which will make it difficult in job interviews.
Would I be better working part time with benefits or just staying off work with full benefits? So much to think about!!!! please help.....

 

[Claire]

I got pregnant a month after losing my job, while in the process of looking for another one. I didn't find a job, and I just kept getting bigger and bigger, to the point where i felt that nobody would hire me being obviously pregnant. So here in Canada you can claim employment insurance benefits if you lose your job, and that's what I did. unfortunately, my benefits will only go until November, and then I am out of money. My husband and I find it very hard on one income now, and things aren't all that great. I really don't want to go straight to work when my baby is only 3 months old, but it seems that is how things will need to be. I also have a problem with depression and when money is tight, it's hard to be cheerful.

My advice to you is to look for a job very ardently and don't give up hope. If you cannot find a job, be strong and get the benefits you are entitled to. Best of luck.

 

[Eveadel]

Hi Lulu

Sorry to hear of your bad luck.

If you are feeling unwell with depression could you speak to DSS or jobcentre for some advice. You may be able to claim a benefit?

 

[Helen]

Hi Lulu

Bad news about losing your job.

What happened? Curious to know why it feels related to your pregnancy...

Helen

 

[lulu]

Hi, well I told them I was pregnant due to the fact that I was getting stress from my partner about keeping the baby and also because it was possible i would have to move back to devon to be closer to my family and friends if my partner didnt support me.
Since I told them, alot of my shifts were reduced or covered. I went home for a funeral and when i went in on tuesday for my shift they sent me home saying it was covered. they said all my shifts would be covered so I should hand my notice in.

 

[Helen]

Hi Lulu

That's terrible!

I think you are right about them. I am an HR Manager so know a bit about this sort of stuff. What they have done is totally illegal. To effectively dismiss you because you are pregnant is sex discrimination. You need to get some legal advice.

Try speaking to the Equal Opportunities Commission on 0845 601 5901 and/or visting your local Citizens Advice Bureau http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/ ... #searchbox or finding a solicitor that deals with employment law and will take your case on a no win-no fee basis.

They can't treat you like this and apart from claiming for loss of earnings so far, you can claim for loss of future earnings (how difficult will it be to get a job now?) and hurt feelings.

It might sound like a load of hassle on top of everything else you are going through, but if it eases the stress of having to find a job until after the baby is born it's worth it.

Hope this helps.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Helen

 

[newbump]

I agree with Helen, I am a company director so involved in hiring and firing! I know they can not sack you just because you are pregnant, the only time they could would be if you started the job knowing you were pregnant and signed a contract which stated you know of no reason why you would have to be off work for more than two weeks at any one time.

If I was in your position I would still want to at least work part time out of boredom, plus time drags if you are not doing much!

Hope you get everthing sorted out ok
Take care

Natalie

 

[Helen]

Eeek! Natalie!

Do you use those sorts of contract to dismiss pregnant women? If so, you could find yourself in hot water.

Under S99 of the Employment Rights Act, any dismissal of a woman because she is pregnant is automatically unfair dismissal regardless of what your contract says and regardless of how long she has worked for you.

I suspect that an employee might also have an indirect sex discrimination claim under the Sex Discrimination Act as well with a contract like that because less women than men can comply with it (because women get pregnant and need more than 2 weeks off and therefore are less likely to be able to comply with the term than a man).

This could also come under the Disability Discrimination Act as indirect discrimination of disabled people as potentially disabled people are more likely to take long periods of absence than those who are not and therefore find themselves dismissed.

If you are using these contracts, it's time they were reviewed by your HR team or a solicitor.

It is never fair to dismiss someone simply because they are pregnant and even fair dismissals of pregnant women e.g. a disciplinary issue have to be really carefully handled.

Helen

p.s. this is UK employment law, I don't know about US or Canadian, etc.

 

[ambiantfairy]

hi all

i was indirectly dicrimnated against as a result of me announcing my pregnancy. i worked with a client who displayed aggressive challenging behaviour on 13 hour shifts. basically i was allowed to leave work an hour earlier one day because the client had kicked off and i was not feeling well. i was about 9 weeks pregnant at the time. i was so shocked afterwards that i was admitted to the a+e with a threatened miscarrriage and shock. i was told to stay away from work by hospital staff for 15 days till everything had settled down. whilst on the first seven days of my sick leave i got a letter from my employers saying sorrry i had left, when i had informed them of my impending sickness the day after the shift!. i pursued them through the grievance procedure, as advised by acas and the eoc. however i was told by my ex employers that because i had highlighted by anxiety at having to work with the client i was told that the job wasnt for me anyway!

so naturally i wanted to pursue through a tribuneral HA! the eoc said my case was weak because i hadnt got a sick note for the initial 7 days i was off work! hello?!! you cant get a sick note off the doctor for the first seven days of being off sick, or so i was told twice by my doctor. he also said that because i had been dismissed i wouldnt be able to get a sick note! after much argueing with him that i hadnt left work THEY had dismissed me, he gave me a note to cover for 5 days. so that was brick wall number 3 !

i pursued a health and saftey claim and they said that the risk assessments were fine?!! i wrote my own risk assessments! having no idea what to expect from a client who has challenging behaviur. nor the stresss of working 13 hours at a time, as it was all new to me. my employers were morons.

total nightmare, im now 4 months pregnant and have decided not to pursue at the tribuneral at this time ( i got a 3 month extension because i sent in my claim too early!) due to the stress and the overwhelming sense of depression i get when thinking about it all.

i was so happy to get the job in the first place thinking i would have a good income for when the baby was born, being able to buy new things etc.

i have tried getting copies of risk assessments from other places but to no avail, even the staff who used to care for the client have told me they cant help me. brick wall number 5!!

yes we have laws to protect us, my job nearly cost the life of my unborn child, yet no one seems to realise that.

i am now back to working in party plan as a psychic :O)

in my opinion the EOC are rubbish - doctors or my doctor doesnt understand the maternity laws.

still we plod on.....