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Your Rights After Maternity Leave: What to Do When Your Boss Says, "You're Pregnant Again? You're Fired!"
Bill Achola
November 13, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
One of my UK reader shared this with me recently: "My boss let me go right after I returned from maternity leave, just because I was pregnant again. What do I do?
Yu’’ve just returned from the whirlwind of new-mom life, sleep-deprived but thrilled to reconnect with your job.
Then, bam – your boss calls you in, does a little throat-clearing, and drops the bomb: you’re being let go because, heaven forbid, you're pregnant again.
"What?
Is this even legal?"
you wonder, likely with a few choice words in the mix.
If this story hits a little too close to home, you’re not alone – let’s talk about what to do next.
Why Employers Get This So Wrong
Let’s face it – while the law around maternity rights is pretty clear, some employers still act like pregnancy is an optional inconvenience, rather than a protected human right.
To put it simply:
Discrimination based on pregnancy is illegal.
But, that doesn’t always stop some companies from thinking they can skirt the rules.
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