Can I delay my consultation? Pregnant and at risk of redundancy

10 Posts

Hello, I'm 17 weeks pregnant and officially at risk of redunancy due to the Covid situation. If I am made redundant, I will be in a terrible situation financially as it is too late for me to apply for a new job and qualify for maternity pay (that would have needed to happen in March).
I THINK I am right in believing that even if they made me redundant, if this was to happen any time after 15 weeks before my due date they would still need to pay me maternity leave. My consultation to begin discussing all this is at the end of the week and I'm told will last a minimum of 45 days. If at the end of those 45 days they decide to let me go, it will be SIX DAYS before the 15-weeks-before-my-due-date mark. Am I within my rights to delay the consultation by a week or so for this reason?
Similarly, I've applied for free legal advice but due to how busy the firm is they won't be calling me until 13th July. Would I also be in my rights to delay the consultation because I want to wait for this legal advice first?
Any advice v welcome, thank you so much!
I THINK I am right in believing that even if they made me redundant, if this was to happen any time after 15 weeks before my due date they would still need to pay me maternity leave. My consultation to begin discussing all this is at the end of the week and I'm told will last a minimum of 45 days. If at the end of those 45 days they decide to let me go, it will be SIX DAYS before the 15-weeks-before-my-due-date mark. Am I within my rights to delay the consultation by a week or so for this reason?
Similarly, I've applied for free legal advice but due to how busy the firm is they won't be calling me until 13th July. Would I also be in my rights to delay the consultation because I want to wait for this legal advice first?
Any advice v welcome, thank you so much!
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I have been a representative in many redundancy hearings and have been successful in extending the process. Sometimes this can be done by simply continuing to ask questions at the hearings and re-convening a week later. Sometimes we have been honest. One person i represented was 2 weeks away from having a service anniversary which would have got him an extra 2.5 weeks of statutory redundancy, so they agreed to move the date and just cited "technical reasons".
Also, if you are pregnant and have paid sickness, if all else fails, a couple of weeks off just before one or more review meeting could possibly be considered?
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