This is known as Ordinary Maternity Leave. The employee has the right to return to their old job at the end of the leave on exactly the same terms and conditions as before. The employee must however give the employer at least 21 days notice of intention to claim Ordinary Maternity Leave. If the employee has been in continuous employment for 1 year or more at the beginning of the 11th week before the expected week of birth, then the employee will be entitled to an Additional Period of maternity leave. This starts at the end of the Ordinary Maternity Leave period and lasts for 29 weeks after the beginning of the week in which the birth occurred.
Employees are likely, however, to be entitled to statutory maternity pay.
Where additional maternity leave is being claimed, the employee has to give the employer at least 21 days notice if they wish to return to work. Many contracts of course provide for maternity leave, which may be more generous than the minimum periods of entitlement as stated above. If the employee is not allowed to return to work at the end of her maternity leave, she will be treated as having been dismissed and is likely to have a claim for unfair dismissal . Each week some of the most tempting positions will be posted in the unique jobs of the week environment.