Victoria's Workplace Rights Advocate, Tony Lawrence, is conducting an inquiry into the difficulties being experienced by women returning to work from maternity leave. The research project is analysing complaints lodged with the Advocate's Workplace Rights Information Line - 1800 882 648.
Examples of difficulties might include:
- not returning the employee to their pre-maternity leave position
- requiring the employee to take a position of lesser status or pay
- not considering requests for gradual return to work through part-time positions or job sharing
- in lieu of gradual return to pre-maternity leave position, offering the employee a casual or fixed term employment, therefore undermining job security, and, in some circumstances, exposing the employee to termination without redundancy entitlements or unfair dismissal remedies
If you have been in this situation, or know someone who is, please call the Victorian Workplace Rights Advocate's Office on 03 9651 9463.
