Employer Maternity Pay - discrimination?

Jazzking

Hi guys,

My partner and I are expectig our first baby in July and recently we got a letter through from our employer (we both work at a University) detailing the maternity pay.

As cleical staff, by OH is entitled to:
8 weeks full pay
16 weeks half pay
2 weeks SMP
26 weeks unpaid.


However, I had a look on the personnel pages and if you're an academic in the same situation (more than 52 weeks employment and intending to return to work) then you get:
18 weeks full pay
8 weeks SMP
26 weeks unpaid

Why do academics get it better off than us clarical staff? Not only do they earn substantially more than administrators but they get an extra 10 weeks full pay!

Would I have a case for discrimination do you think? It seems bizzare that two women, both going through the same process would get paid differently by the same employer just because of their job title...

Anyone else experienced something like this? I notice at other Universities most of them give the same allowances to all grades of staff, I think at Oxford it's 18 weeks full pay as well regardless of if you're admin or academic...

Alex

Counting_Pennies_2

The question would be discrimination on what cause? It couldn't be sex discrimination, it is a policy for the same sex.

Benefits do often seem unfair when people on higher levels are employed on different benefits.

In my company maternity pay is the same, but for people on different grades holiday ranges from 25 through to 34 days a year.

What you need to put into perspective is different unions working for different work groups in the organisation, academics are bound to be under a different union than the clerical staff, and hence different national and local conditions are negotiated by the various unions representing their group of workers.

Also it is the way of work, that employers need to offer incentives for staff on different levels. Benefits play a huge part in enticing people to apply for jobs, and benefits do include maternity pay.

I would say be happy with the fact SMP is not being applied throughout the entire maternity leave, for the vast majority of workers (and especially public sector employees) SMP is all people get.

Enjoy the build up to the baby, enjoy the fact you are getting more than SMP and forget any grievances about unfairness, this is a benefit issue, which it appears to me to be standard throughout the world of work.

Hth

hjb123

Have you been working there for differeing lengths of time? This could also explain differing lengths of entitlement! Though as you have found it on the personnel pages it does seem pretty unfair!

Woby_Tide

I'd imagine the difficulty in replacing a clerical staff member vs an academic staff member plays a part in differing 'benefits' offered

Jazzking

Hiya,

Thanks to everyone who responded.
Conincidentally, everyone at the Uni got a memo from the vice-chancellor today highlighting some of the changes that will be coming into play from August 2006, alongside the single pay grading spine for all staff.

One of the things they will be implementing in August is:

• move from two maternity schemes to a single scheme for all staff

So, they are obviously aware of it but unfortunately it will be implemented 1 month too late! Might see if I can see what will be implemented in August and see if maybe something can be backdated :-)

Alex

bank_of_slate

I would also contact ACAS for advice regarding this matter

https://www.acas.org.uk
...Linda xx

hjb123

Yeah I would see what can be done - how long have you both been with the university? Maybe they can do something to make it worth the while? Or if they bend the rules for one...

smittenkitten

do they have a equal ops policy

Jazzking

They do: full details are HERE but I can't really find anything to back the case up. The only mention of maternity pay is:

Leave

The University recognises that staff may on occasion need to take leave for personal, family or religious reasons. The University will seek to accommodate reasonable requests. In addition to annual leave, the University has developed a policy on maternity leave, paternity, adoptive and childcare leave.

I've emailed personnel about it anyway but the person I need to speak to is away until tomorrow so I might get an answer back then... I can't really see it being against equal ops if they've been doing it for this long with two different schemes but you never know....

BTW, I've been with the Uni for 18 months and my OH has been employed snice May 2004... so not as long as some of the academics but still a fair amount of time!

Alex

caroline1973lefty

Agree about contacting ACAS - also if you are in the union I'd definitely contact them for help with arguing the employer could/should use its discretion and award you the higher benefit. The union should at least be able to help you by showing you the arguments they made for a single maternity scheme.
If you're not in the union, I'd join! (I should come clean and say I work for a union, not in academia though). I'm not sure but I think all the unions in the academic sector work together to negotiate a joint agreement.

You might also contact the Equal Opportunities Commission to see if they could offer any advice. Lastly make sure you get all the benefits you're entitled to! The Daycare Trust is a good source of info.
All the best!

callansdad

I think that the maternity package that you get as it is is quite good. I know it seems a bit unfair about the differing maternity packages but the jobs are different and the qualifications needed differ as well. I would imagine this is why they would be different