Maternity pay - some complicated questions!

[bopster]

Hi All,

This one is a bit complicated!! ok so, i'm 10 weeks pregnant and my contract in work expires Feb 2011. Baby due September so should be leaving around about beginning September i imagine. So my contract will expire while i'm on maternity leave.
Company doesnt pay maternity leave so i will be entitled to Govt maternity benefit.

First Questaion - My contract will expire while i'm on maternity leave. Will i be then entitled to all holidays owed during my time off in cash? The current contract will definately not be renewed as i'm covering for someone else who will definately be back in Feb 2011. There is a good chance of another opening summer 2011. So will i be entitled to parental leave if i start the new positon in the summer? (I will be unemployed from Feb until summer time).

Second Question - To throw a spanner in the works my partner may be offered an excellent oppurtunity in London in the coming weeks (money is not great but its a chanvce to do what he's always wanted to do). Bad timing with whats going on but if he decides to take it, itt means we will live apart for next 6 months. Him in London, me in current position here. When baby is born i will move to london also and look for a job there as soon as i'm ready to go back to work. Would i still be entitled to be paid maternity from irish government even though i'm living in london...although i will still be on the books a a staff member in an irish company until Feb 2011?? If i'm not entitled to it, do you think i would be entilted to some type of benefit from British system.

Thanks All

 

[eggerb]

Hi All,

First Questaion - My contract will expire while i'm on maternity leave. Will i be then entitled to all holidays owed during my time off in cash? The current contract will definately not be renewed as i'm covering for someone else who will definately be back in Feb 2011.

Time spent on maternity leave (including additional maternity leave) is treated as though you have been in employment, and this time can be used to accumulate annual leave and public holiday entitlement. With an employee returning to work, these are normally added to the end of the period of leave. In your case, I would imagine they will put them through the normal payroll as x number of days. I would imagine they will do this as your contract expires. (Cash won't be an option I'd imagine!)

There is a good chance of another opening summer 2011. So will i be entitled to parental leave if i start the new positon in the summer? (I will be unemployed from Feb until summer time).

The Parental Leave Act states the "leave shall not commence before a time when the employee ... has completed one year's continuous employment"

 

[eggerb]

When baby is born i will move to london also and look for a job there as soon as i'm ready to go back to work. Would i still be entitled to be paid maternity from irish government even though i'm living in london...although i will still be on the books a a staff member in an irish company until Feb 2011?? If i'm not entitled to it, do you think i would be entilted to some type of benefit from British system.

Thanks All

This may answer some of your questions but best to speak to the department directly I would say. It seems that you may only continue your Maternity Benefit abroad if you are getting approved medical treatment there. However, you may be entitled to something from the British system. (I would imagine it is not a generous as the Irish one!)

Best of luck with the baby!