Maternity Rights and Redundancy

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, together with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, has published new guidance to help employers understand the rights of women who are pregnant or on maternity leave when workplace redundancies are necessary.

The guidance, ‘Managing redundancy for pregnant employees or those on maternity leave’, contains a useful check list for managing the process fairly and sets out the applicable law. It gives advice in answer to four key questions:

• Is the redundancy genuine and necessary?
• How do I consult employees on maternity leave?
• How do I decide the right selection criteria? and
• Is there a suitable alternative vacancy?

There is also a ‘mythbusting’ section, which corrects common misunderstandings and sets out key facts on managing pregnancy and maternity at work.

View the guidance.