Make up the hours for a hospital appointment?

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

I'm contracted to 16 hours a week on set days. Boss knows im pregnant and have been put under hospital care for monthly check ups. Unfortunatley the check ups fall on one of my "work" days - I've asked the hospital to change it, they said they cant because that clinic only runs on those days. Boss is saying i need to make up my hours by either staying late or coming in another day - the problem i have is that if i stay late, i miss the "cut off" time to pick DD up and will get "fined" by the nursery and if i was to go in on another day i pay for my DD to go to a nursery - she only goes on the usual days im at work. It means putting her in nursery for another extra day which costs £35 for the day. I dont have anyone that can have DD for me whilst i make the hours up.

I know that if i worked FT then i wouldnt be expected to make the hours up - so how come PT staff do?

jellynose

Your employer cannot do this. You are entitled to paid time off to attend anti natal appointments, here is a section from the Citizens Advice Bureau:

Time off for ante-natal care

If you are pregnant, you are entitled to paid time off for ante-natal care. Ante-natal care can include medical examinations, relaxation and parenting classes.
Your employer must allow you to take time off for ante-natal appointments and to pay you for this time as long as what you’re asking for is reasonable.
Example
You’ve booked time off to go to a medical appointment related to your pregnancy. Your employer insists this time must be made up for through flexi-time arrangements or your pay will be docked. This is pregnancy discrimination. You can make a complaint to your employer by taking out a grievance and, if necessary, making a claim to an employment tribunal.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_money/employment/discrimination_at_work_because_of_pregnancy_or_maternity_leave.htm

Also check these links:
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/953.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=138


http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/parents/moneyandworkentitlements/workandfamilies/dg_10026556


Also you say that you don't believe that you would have to make up the time if you were a full time worker, do you have any evidence of this? There is protection of part time workers and you cannot be treated less favourably than a full time worker without the employer having 'objective justification' to do so, see here for info:


http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Flexibleworking/DG_173304

DVardysShadow

Change that day at work?

Googlewhacker

Even though post two is correct you would be rather silly to enforce this IMO if you only work 2 days a week and have flexibility to do the hours at another time. You will pee your boss off as well.

I think you should offer to swap days as DVardys suggested

jellynose

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Change that day at work?

Googlewhacker wrote: »

Even though post two is correct you would be rather silly to enforce this IMO if you only work 2 days a week and have flexibility to do the hours at another time. You will pee your boss off as well.

I think you should offer to swap days as DVardys suggested

I was going to suggest that but Mimi said

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel wrote: »

if i was to go in on another day i pay for my DD to go to a nursery - she only goes on the usual days im at work. It means putting her in nursery for another extra day which costs £35 for the day. I dont have anyone that can have DD for me whilst i make the hours up.

I think that by offering to work a different day your employer would feel that you are trying to meet them in the middle. Is there another clinic or hospital in your area that offers what you need on a different day? Can you not get this anti natal service from your GP?

jackieblack

If you changed your day at work could you also change your daughter's day at nursery?

System

It sounds like it is pregnancy discrimination to allow paid time off for hospital appointments.

As everybody keeps banging on, pregnancy is not an illness therefore allowing paid time off for pregnancy related appointments is discriminating against people with appointments for other reasons who do not get this right.

mirrorimage0

beg to differ, ive been quite ill during my pregnancy, had to have various scans for different reasons and consultant appointments as have to be watched closely, and i have had my liver affected by this etc. so it can be an illnes lol

lucky enough i have managed to get most of my appointments very close to the end of my working day so i dont leave too early, or in the school holidays which i get off anyway. i think as long as you are reasonable with your employer and they can see you are trying to schedule in appointments around them then thats a good thing but no they can not refuse you, same as my employer does not refuse other medical appointments, by which i dont mean routine checkups ie dentist

Googlewhacker

!!!!!! wrote: »

It sounds like it is pregnancy discrimination to allow paid time off for hospital appointments.

As everybody keeps banging on, pregnancy is not an illness therefore allowing paid time off for pregnancy related appointments is discriminating against people with appointments for other reasons who do not get this right.

I agree but the law is the law

Googlewhacker

mirrorimage0 wrote: »

beg to differ, ive been quite ill during my pregnancy, had to have various scans for different reasons and consultant appointments as have to be watched closely, and i have had my liver affected by this etc. so it can be an illnes lol

lucky enough i have managed to get most of my appointments very close to the end of my working day so i dont leave too early, or in the school holidays which i get off anyway. i think as long as you are reasonable with your employer and they can see you are trying to schedule in appointments around them then thats a good thing but no they can not refuse you, same as my employer does not refuse other medical appointments, by which i dont mean routine checkups ie dentist

I think the main gripe for most employers is that you HAVE to pay for someone to not be at work whilst they get checked up for making a choice.

Check ups for disabilities are differant and a reasonable adjustment is that they may allow you to get appointments as and when but there is no legal requirement to have to pay someone.

Personally if someone shows flexibility towards me I will do the same back and this really should be the way to go.

nottslass_2

The law states that your employer has to allow and pay you for all anti natal appointments. If they refuse to do this contact ACAS who will advise you of your next step.