Oh god, what am i going to do .... so worried i feel sick !!

[Naterjack]

OH MY GOD

We had an email today warning of future redundancies: I start mat leave in 2 weeks (but finish work on Friday as have 2 weeks holiday) and had planned to return in March part time.

I work from home, my area is the south, the north is covered by someone who started at the same time as me and he will be covering my work whilst i would be on Mat leave - what if they think they can cope without me .....?
If they make me redundant now, i will have nothing....Ive been there just over a year

Both me and hubby have good wages but definately cant live on one wage so i'd have to find a full time job straight away, no mat leave, no nothing - but ove looked on the net and nothing unless i want a HUGE pay cut (think over £5k)

(What benefits could i get of anything ?)

I am shaking, feel sick and cant stop crying

What am i going to do ???

 

[emmie]

our company has just gone through this hun, and first things first dont worry, they have to be very very very very hard pushed to make a pregnant woman about to start her maternity leave redundant as they wouldnt get away with it so you should be one of the last to go hun. I only know this as i have just been in exactly the same situation. Hope this helps hun.

Emma xx

 

[nori]

aww hun it may not even happen so try not to worry too much just yet.. whats your situation ie.. have you got a mortgage or do you pay rent? If you have a mortgage and DO get made redundant then remember you maybe able to take a mortgage break for 6 months which would help.

YOu mention you couldnt survive off one wage? Would one wage cover the bills only or would they go nowhere near covering that? The only reason i ask is that sometimes we think we wont survive but when you write it all down in black and white and cut out all the things you can you may just about manage.

Me and my OH are gonna struggle which is why we havent moved to a bigger house (only got a 1 bed) and we will have to cut back on alot.. no sky tv, he is getting the bus to work (over an hour ride) only 1 car, no holidays etc etc... it wil be hard but will be worth it.

Claire x

 

[widowwadman]

If you've been there for a year you should be entitled to SMP. It's still an arse.I've almost been made redundant a a couple of weeks ago, but thankfully managed to talk myself back into my job.
Sadly it is possible to make a pregnant woman redundant, unless it is because of her pregnancy. It's a different situation if you're already on maternity leave, however, pregnancy does not give you extra safety. However, if they selected you to be at risk in relation to a score, have a close look in what areas your scores might have been affected by pregnancy. Also, you might want to ring ACAS, who I found very helpful when I was preparing for my stage 2 meeting.

PM me, if you want.

 

[Julie84]

Also, I'm pretty sure you would be entitled to maternity allowance (which I believe works out the same as SMP) if you were made redundant as you have been paying national insurance contributions.

But as emmie said, as a prgnant woman/on maternity leave, you are likely to be left to very last if redundancies happen as 1) it's not worth them risking you taking them to tribunal and 2) about 95% of the statutory mininun SMP is covered by the state so it would cost them very little to continue paying your SMP.

I'm looking at a similar situation in the new year however I think it will be voluntary redundancy as there is talk of them closing our office (which would mean either taking redundancy or moving to head office in London - a 90 minute train commute )

Your midwife will be able to help advise you on things like this or at the very least point you in the direction of an organisation that can help. When I was having work troubles my midwife arranged for a CAB representative to come into the surgery and help go through things with me and what my options were etc.

As bleak as it may seem, you will be okay. I got myself in a tizz a while ago because I didn't thin we would cope financially (I'm the main breadwinner and Neil's salary will cover the mortgage and a few bills). However, when I sat down adn worked out exactly what the essentials would cost us and how much we would get (to the last penny!) from Neil's salary, SMP, child benefit and child tax credits, we will survive. It will be tough and we are going to have some serious cutbacks in lifestyle but it will all be worth it in the end.

 

[Naterjack]

If you've been there for a year you should be entitled to SMP.

You know what, i think you hit the nail on the head there
Just looked on the government website and it says .......

If you have the right to receive SMP, you'll get it even if you decide to leave your job (or are made redundant) before you start receiving SMP. Also once you start getting it, your employer must continue to pay SMP to you even if you leave your job or are made redundant. You don't have to repay it if you decide not to go back to work or leave your job whilst getting SMP. If you are employed you can choose when you want your SMP to start, this will normally coincide with your Ordinary Maternity Leave. Unless your baby is born sooner, the earliest SMP can start is 11 weeks before the week your baby is due.

So, i have been there 55 weeks or so now - so they would have to continue paying me ?
We had agreed that my return date would be March 5th (12 weeks Mat leave) but would they have to pay me the full SMP entitlement ?

Starting to feel a "little" better

 

[widowwadman]

Basically they'd have to pay you the full 39 weeks (6 @ 90%, and then 33 weeks at 117.18 GBP or whatever it is). A return date should not have been agreed before going on leave anyway (but you'd have to give the employer 4 weeks notice if wanting to return before end of OML). They don't have to pay you SMP monthly or weekly, but can pay it all in a lumpsum, so that you can use it up over the 39 weeks of leave. This should not make any difference tax wise according to what ACAS told me, but if it comes to this, you should best also talk to HMRC, just to be sure.

I thankfully didn't have to go and find out for myself anymore, as they've decided to stop the redundancy in my case, but the above is the advice ACAS have given me in the process. Also, it might make sense to point out to your employer that they won't save much by making you redundant now (nor do you cost them much while on ML, as they can claim the majority back), as not every employer is aware of this at that level and it might be an argument which can help tilt the scale into your favour.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you that it doesn't come to it for you. I know it's a horrid horrid feeling, and the last thing you can use while pregnant.

 

[Naterjack]

thanks so much hun - it does make sense the more i look into it (god i haven't been off the net since 5:30pm looking into my options)

I know its a small thing in the huge ocean of problems us pregnant ladies could face have but i haven't felt so worried about anything in my life - goodness, how can it get me like this

Thanks again xxx

 

[Snooky]

this happened to me, except I had 4 months to go until my due date! They are still paying my SMP so we have to manage on my OH wages, SMP, and some savings and then maybe JSA after baby is born.

Got a months pay packet and that was it. I was fuming, BUt once you have sat and worked it all out it isn't that bad and is manageable. Not the best situation but not the end of the world. And I was the bread winner too!

Just means I take SMP early but have no job to go back to - which I will worry about in a years time when the money runs out. I also have mortgage protection insurance which I can cash in after SMP runs out and also I have asked for my SMP to be paid to be as a lump sum. This will be taxed slightly more than if paid weekly but I will be able to claim it back as I will have paid enough tax for this year.

Plus you will get child tax credits and child benefit once baby is born.

So try not to panic. I know how you feel, i was devastated, had been there just under 2 years and it was the best job I had ever had.

I had a good cry and worked out what I ws entitled to - which is a task in itself!! But then realised that it wasn't so bad after all. When I did go 4 days later I had prepared myself for the worse and managed to leave with some dignity and my head held high although my colleagues could not believe it was happening. Trust me they can get rid of pregnant women as long as they can justify it. I was told no no they can't but that is rubbish!!! Unless you can prove they got rid of you cos you are pregnant.

PLUS - it may not even come to that.

Good luck hon

XXX

 

[rach]

sorry hun i dont have any advice but wanted to send you a hug xxxxxxxxx

 

[Naterjack]

thanks girls, i feel a lot better this morning
Ive worked out the worst that can happen and hopefully it wont get to that - especially as i will get SMP from work so thats good, i just wont have a part time, work from home job so will have to work more hours to pay for childcare

The trials and tribulations of life hey