my legal rites

[windowsvista]

i have been at my job for 2 and a half years,i am 4months pregnant and my hours have changed,where do i stand by law with meternaty pay and other benifts that i should resieve if i hand my notice in before im due to go on leave also none of the employers have resieved new contracts

[factor-fiction]

I think the AB gremlins have corrupted your question but I've retrieved the original which was:

'My legal rights.

I have been at my job for two and a half years. I am four months pregnant and my hours have changed. Where do I stand by law with maternity pay and other benefits that I should receive if I hand my notice in before I�m due to go on leave. Also, none of the employees have received new contracts.'

Well windowsvista, this must be a difficult time and I hope the stress doesn't affect your pregnancy. I'm not clear what reason you would have for handing your notice in now. If you resign I don't think you'd get maternity benefits. If there is a collective agreement with a trades union and the appropriate consulation arrangments have been followed I don't think staff will get new contracts but they should be made available in writing somewhere for you to read .
Can you tell us what the changes are to your hours - and have they been reduced?

[windowsvista]

my reason for wanting to leave is due to the hours they have now given me,my hours where 9-3 mon-fri due to me having a child already and this was agreed in a contract,they then changed my hours and i was told that by law i had to do a weekend the hours being 8-8 sat 8-8 nite shift then 8-8sun,then i had to do a 5day week of 9-3,and now again they have said my hours are changing to ones i can not comply with due to being a lone parent.

[factor-fiction]

Is this a large firm? If so it will have a grievance procedure which you could follow. The firm should I think make reasonable adjustments for parents with childcare responsibilities. If you are in a union see them too. Can Let's hope a specialist employment lawyer on AB will have some advice

[Whickerman]

You have a right to be transferred from night shift immediately under UK health & safety law, if you can get a doctor or midwife to sign a note. If this cannot be accomodated they must send you home with pay.

Quote:"MHSW also states that where a new or expectant mother works nights and provides a medical certificate from her GP or Midwife which says that working nights will affect the health of the woman, then the employer must suspend her from work, on full pay, for as long as necessary. However, the Employment Rights Act 1996 provides that where appropriate, suitable alternative work should be offered, on the same terms and conditions, before any suspension from work."
http://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/law.htm

DO NOT come at this from the 'I've got kids aso can't work odd hours' angle or you'll lose. Tackle it through health & safety, and good luck.