On maternity leave and being ask to go into work!!!!

[steve76]

Hi all
my wife is on maternity leave and the company she works for has phoned her up asking her to come in to work only for a couple of half days...
They have told her that she would not get any extra pay for this just her normal maternity pay that she is on now..
so it seems to me that she  will be working for free.... so to put it

Can the company do this????
 
Thanks for your help steve..

[steve76]

[petengade]

Found this, hope it helps.

Keeping in Touch (KIT) days if you are getting MA
You are allowed to work as an employed or self-employed person for up to 10 days during your Maternity Allowance Period without losing any MA. These special days are known as KIT days.

KIT days are intended to help you keep in touch with your workplace or, if you are self-employed with your business, and enable you to do some work without affecting your MA. They could also help ease your return to work. If you are on maternity leave from your employer you and your employer must agree that you can work on those days. Your employer does not have any right to insist that you work. If you are not on maternity leave from an employer, or you are self-employed, you are free to decide for yourself whether to do any work or not.

Any work you do as a KIT day, even for as little as half an hour, for example, will count as a whole day for KIT days. You can work for single days; in blocks of two or more days; or they can be worked consecutively. Once you have used up your 10 days and you do any further work, you will lose a days MA for any day on which you work.

[autumn leaf]

Hi - this link might be useful - it lists free helpline numbers.  The service is provided for both employees and employers and you don't have to belong to the union to take advantage of it.

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2042

There is no way your wife is obliged to go into work if she doesn't want to until her maternity leave expires.

AL

[PurpleHeather]

She does not have to go in whilst on maternity leave at all.  So, she can simply say 'No' and there is nothing they can do.

I can understand them being hard pressed, needing help and asking but it is rather cheeky for them not to offer her the cost of child care and any travel expenses. I would certainly say no.

Here is a link to the government web site. I would rather you read their wording.

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1080903184&type=RESOURCES

[Digeroo]

I would agree to swap the days.  Once she has the baby if is often necessary to have the odd day off or a need to go home early and come in late.  A couple of days nows could be traded for a great deal of goodwill later on.

If she works for someone for whom give and take means you give and they take then I would definitely say no.  But perhaps hedge my bets by saying I am not feeling well enough.

Sometimes it is nice to feel needed.

[steve76]

Thanks for the help and links.

The company are a take- take :(
she's not going back after her maternity leave.  They put more and more on her with out even a thank you, i have even helped them out and didn't even get a thank you for it. i didn't expect a cash incentive not that they offered not even to cover the fuel as i was doing delivery's for them in my van when there's broke down,
but please and thank you go a long way in my book.

Thanks for your help ;)

[Borlotti]

Well that seems to be sorted, but if they just wanted her to go in and sort out a few queries, have coffee and a chat with friends, not sure how pregnant she is, OK.  If she was intending to return after the baby fine and had a good relationship with the firm sounds OK, but not sure what work she was doing and if she has no intention of returning no point in going back. Anyway if it is snowing and cold where you are, just say no, it is not feasible.  Where I worked a lot of the staff that got pregnant come back for chats and lunch, but were not expected to work.  When I retired I went back a couple of times but everyone seemed to be getting on very well without me, but I would have been willing to sort out any queries without being paid but then I worked there for 15 years and they were very nice people to work for, I still miss it.

[steve76]

Should of said they just want her in to do her normal work, nothing else.
She works in a shop and they get a little bit busy now, but they way they probably look at it is if they can get her to come in knowing they dont have to pay her they wont have to get in a pair of extra hands and pay for them.

Thanks Steve.

[rosebud]

  Steve, it has to be a NO NO, simple as that.
She could get stuck in traffic for hours or heaven forbid slip over with all this bad weather.  NO NO NO.     ;D ;D ;D

[PurpleHeather]

On behalf of all of us who have tried to help

Thanks a lot for acknowledging it

Often people do not bother...........

[caroline7758]

Rgarding Petengade's advicte, Maternity Allowance is not the same as Statutory Maternity Pay.

But anyway the answer is NO! Cheeky b*****s!

[gp.girl]

Should of said they just want her in to do her normal work, nothing else.
She works in a shop and they get a little bit busy now, but they way they probably look at it is if they can get her to come in knowing they dont have to pay her they wont have to get in a pair of extra hands and pay for them.

Probably not that busy now and it's a no anyway.

Have you got your holiday sorted or are they being 'cheeky' on that to?

[cornykev]

Cheeky feckers,  >:( if one of my members at work contacted me about them doing this I would tell them to get in touch with HR and report them for harassment, I've never heard anything like it.      :( :( :(