Maternity rights guide

The Equality and Human Rights Commission and conciliation service Acas have published a new guide to the rights of women who are pregnant or on maternity leave when facing redundancy.

Employers and employees seeking advice on pregnancy or maternity and redundancy issues make more than 15,000 calls a year to Acas’s helpline. Unfair dismissal or detriment related to being pregnant or on maternity leave accounted for 1,900 cases lodged at the Employment Tribunal in 2011-12 alone.

The new guide, Managing redundancy for pregnant employees or those on maternity leave, is aimed at employers and outlines what the law says and advice on how to handle the situation correctly. It sets out four important questions the employer should ask when considering which posts to make redundant:

• Is the redundancy genuine?

• How do I consult employees on maternity leave?

• How do I decide the right selection criteria?

• Is there a suitable alternative vacancy?

www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3832