Disallowed Training Due to Expected Child

TractorFactor

Is it right I should be disallowed training in part, due to expecting a child?
Are the laws that protect this applicable for both the mother (maternity) and the father (paternity)?

TELLIT01

When was the training day?  How long before maternity leave started?  It may be that the training is only relevant to people who will be there after this person goes on maternity leave.  That being the case there would be no value either to the employer or employee for the person to attend.  The employer may also feel that it would be more beneficial for the employee to receive this training when they return to work.

elsien

Or if it’s longer training, either you won’t have completed before you go on leave, or they need someone else to do that part of the role while you are off. 

Are you the mother or the father? 

mark_cycling00

last time I checked it isn't illegal to discriminate on grounds of paternity but that was a few years ago.

You need to give more details though otherwise it sounds more like a rhetorical question.

In IT, many qualifications only last a year or two due to the changing nature of things. You might need to prove that you were treated differently due to maternity compared to someone who asked for a year/9 months off for other reasons

Marcon

TractorFactor said:

Is it right I should be disallowed training in part, due to expecting a child?
Are the laws that protect this applicable for both the mother (maternity) and the father (paternity)?

No - and the risks are different for an expectant mother, so if the training could endanger her health or that of her unborn child, that would be a very good reason for delaying the training until after she returns from maternity leave.

If you're the mother, exactly what reasons have been given for disallowing training? There are valid reasons for doing so (not just health), provided they can be objectively substantiated. 

MalMonroe

Hi,

You don't really need to give any further details because for women, it is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of being pregnant. (Per the Equality Act 2010.)

More info here - https://www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnant-your-rights

See under 'health and safety'. This is my favourite bit -

"The employer should suspend the employee on full pay if they cannot remove any risks"

I don't know about the laws regarding men who are about to become parents but you could always check with acas. 

https://www.acas.org.uk/contact

Good luck with the employment and the baby! 

sheramber

MalMonroe said:

Hi,

You don't really need to give any further details because for women, it is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of being pregnant. (Per the Equality Act 2010.)

More info here - https://www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnant-your-rights

See under 'health and safety'. This is my favourite bit -

"The employer should suspend the employee on full pay if they cannot remove any risks"

I don't know about the laws regarding men who are about to become parents but you could always check with acas. 

https://www.acas.org.uk/contact

Good luck with the employment and the baby! 

Does the training course risk any of these?  If not your link is irrelevant, but of course you do not care.


Without further information as to what the course is no one can advise.

Is the training part of the employment or is it voluntary?

Will it still be relevant if the OP goes on maternity leave?

Undervalued

sheramber said:

MalMonroe said:

Hi,

You don't really need to give any further details because for women, it is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of being pregnant. (Per the Equality Act 2010.)

More info here - https://www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnant-your-rights

See under 'health and safety'. This is my favourite bit -

"The employer should suspend the employee on full pay if they cannot remove any risks"

I don't know about the laws regarding men who are about to become parents but you could always check with acas. 

https://www.acas.org.uk/contact

Good luck with the employment and the baby! 

Does the training course risk any of these?  If not your link is irrelevant, but of course you do not care.


Without further information as to what the course is no one can advise.

Is the training part of the employment or is it voluntary?

Will it still be relevant if the OP goes on maternity leave?

^^^^^ Exactly this!

Ditzy_Mitzy

sheramber said:

MalMonroe said:

Hi,

You don't really need to give any further details because for women, it is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of being pregnant. (Per the Equality Act 2010.)

More info here - https://www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnant-your-rights

See under 'health and safety'. This is my favourite bit -

"The employer should suspend the employee on full pay if they cannot remove any risks"

I don't know about the laws regarding men who are about to become parents but you could always check with acas. 

https://www.acas.org.uk/contact

Good luck with the employment and the baby! 

Does the training course risk any of these?  If not your link is irrelevant, but of course you do not care.


Without further information as to what the course is no one can advise.

Is the training part of the employment or is it voluntary?

Will it still be relevant if the OP goes on maternity leave?

Don't quote me on this, but I suspect the situation regarding training is similar to that of a company that I have worked for, who offered optional training packages.  Some of those resulted in the grant of 'proper', i.e. externally recognized, qualifications and were seen, therefore, as quite desirable.  The training packages were provided on a discretionary basis and under contractual agreement that the employee, on qualification, would remain at the firm for a further six months.  If he or she resigned in that period - which was tempting as said qualifications often granted passage to more lucrative employment - it would be necessary to reimburse the employer for the training package.  They cost a couple of grand, from memory.  

Now, if something similar is going on here, it may be the case that the OP is in a position where she can complete the exam and then spend the next six months on maternity leave.  There probably isn't anything in the training programme contract to cover that situation, i.e. the employee using maternity leave to effectively gain the qualification without 'paying' for it by working, so the employer has declined the request.  If said training is discretionary, can be gained privately and is not essential to the employer's work, I cannot see what rights the employee would have.  

elsien

Although I am still considering the OP to be the father from the initial post, because they’ve never come back to clarify.