Underdog

ktothema

My understanding, which may well be wrong btw, is that the six months for dad is a straight swap for the last six months a mum is entiltled to. I.e. additional paternity is a straight swap for additional maternity. Ordinary maternity (the first 6 months) is not available to dads. You need to compare what your company offer additional maternity to additional paternity. I doubt these two are much if any different. If your company if offering to top your wages up for 6 weeks, I'd run and take the money personally. It's far more than most men who take additional paternity leave are ever going to get.

hawk30

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

Total !!!! take, you are lucky to get anything at all, why should you get paid as much as the mother who will be primary carer?
Start making waves at work and carrying on about it will just make them find a reason to get rid of you when you do return.
What about grandparents and friends of baby, should they be allowed time off and paid the same as the Mother as well.! Also what about the neighbours can they claim also?.
Your making yourself look like a right moneygrabber.

But if OP is taking additional paternity leave, then HE is the primary carer. APL can only be taken if the mother has gone back to work and stopped claiming statutory pay. So why shouldn't he get the same amount of money as a women taking maternity leave.

Miabsdad

ktothema wrote: »

My understanding, which may well be wrong btw, is that the six months for dad is a straight swap for the last six months a mum is entiltled to. I.e. additional paternity is a straight swap for additional maternity. Ordinary maternity (the first 6 months) is not available to dads. You need to compare what your company offer additional maternity to additional paternity. I doubt these two are much if any different. If your company if offering to top your wages up for 6 weeks, I'd run and take the money personally. It's far more than most men who take additional paternity leave are ever going to get.

yeah thats what the company are saying is how they have done it but the Union representative i have spoken to (a Mother) has said that the law says they are to be treated the same and the only point the two types of leave come together is the fact i can't take the leave until the 20th week of her maternity leave, pay wise I'm entitle to a fresh 26 weeks stat pay. I have took the money, i am trying to make it fair for other families trying to take this leave within my work as they are not doing it by the book.

ktothema

hawk30 wrote: »

But if OP is taking additional paternity leave, then HE is the primary carer. APL can only be taken if the mother has gone back to work and stopped claiming statutory pay. So why shouldn't he get the same amount of money as a women taking maternity leave.

Because there is a difference between ordinary and additional maternity set out in law. During the period of ordinary maternity leave there are more entitlements for a mum, and companies can choose, but don't have to pay anything above SMP. If additional maternity is swapped for additional paternity, then the primary career is only entitled to that which mum would have gotten, which is generally 3 months SMP and three months nothing.

ktothema

Miabsdad wrote: »

yeah thats what the company are saying is how they have done it but the Union representative i have spoken to (a Mother) has said that the law says they are to be treated the same and the only point the two types of leave come together is the fact i can't take the leave until the 20th week of her maternity leave, pay wise I'm entitle to a fresh 26 weeks stat pay. I have took the money, i am trying to make it fair for other families trying to take this leave within my work as they are not doing it by the book.

As far as I know additional maternity and additional paternity are to be treated the same. Enhanced pay shouldn't be coming into it unless your company offer enhanced pay beyond the ordinary leave period. If your company are offering for you to enhance your pay for 6 weeks you are really getting a bonus. If you request them to play by the book, they may well tell you you can only claim the extra weeks your OH didn't claim SMP for.

hawk30

ktothema wrote: »

Because there is a difference between ordinary and additional maternity set out in law. During the period of ordinary maternity leave there are more entitlements for a mum, and companies can choose, but don't have to pay anything above SMP. If additional maternity is swapped for additional paternity, then the primary career is only entitled to that which mum would have gotten, which is generally 3 months SMP and three months nothing.

I know what the law is. I was just taking issue with Dandelion's contention that the OP was money grabbing and that the mother was the primary carer.

Edit: I've just read OPs post properly

lazer

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

Total !!!! take, you are lucky to get anything at all, why should you get paid as much as the mother who will be primary carer?
Start making waves at work and carrying on about it will just make them find a reason to get rid of you when you do return.
What about grandparents and friends of baby, should they be allowed time off and paid the same as the Mother as well.! Also what about the neighbours can they claim also?.
Your making yourself look like a right moneygrabber.

The mother is back at work - so the father is the primary care giver.

As i understand - your wife took 20 weeks maternity (SMP) and now you are taking paternity leave for the next 26 weeks?

Your company pays full pay for the first 26 weeks of Maternity/Paternity leave, but because the paternity leave can only start from week 20, therefore the maximum full pay available for paternity leave is 6 weeks according to the company rules.

I am not sure if you have a case here or not because the company is a way treating people equally, in that its the first 26 weeks maternity/paternity that are full pay, however government legislation prevents patarnity leave from starting until week 20.

On the other hand, becasue of the company policy mothers can get 26 weeks full pay and fathers can only get 6, therefore this policy could be seen as discrimatory towards fathers?

Let me know how you get on, i'm genuinely interested in how this works out

ILW

Miabsdad wrote: »

Im not a money grabber, my wife has returned to work so whilst she is working i am the main carer for our child, and because i am the father you are saying i am lucky i get anything at all, why is that?

The law says i can have this leave which me and my wife agreed on taking 6 months each, to both have time with our little one, all i am saying is if my employer enhances this for a mother why not the father, it is pretty straight forward, its about equality in the work place, giving fathers the rights they are entitled to and all i am saying is that we should be entitled to the same pay as each other as the leave is for the same reason, to care for the child.

I am entitle to the leave.... I am enjoying the leave.... all i am saying is as i am on the leave why because i am a father on the leave should my family suffer because i am on the leave not the mother.

You should be out there furthering your career so you can give your daughter a decent start in life. She will thank you more for paying for a decent education than you taking months off work to "bond" with her.

Grow some.

ktothema

hawk30 wrote: »

I know what the law is. I was just taking issue with Dandelion's contention that the OP was money grabbing and that the mother was the primary carer. I also believe that if a company chooses to give enhanced contractual rights to a woman they should do the same for the man.

Please ignore this post!

ktothema

hawk30 wrote: »

I know what the law is. I was just taking issue with Dandelion's contention that the OP was money grabbing and that the mother was the primary carer.

Edit: I've just read OPs post properly

Sorry - posted before you edited. And I also forgot to mention that I get understand where youre getting at there.