Some are more equal than others.
I used to be quiet and shy in school. I did my work and kept to myself. If I was left alone to read, I was happy.
That ended in senior social studies when we were discussing a suggestion for federally mandated maternity leave. It didn’t seem fair to expect a business, especially a small business, to hold a job for a woman on maternity leave who might decide to come back. Not fair for the business. Not fair for her replacement. The other women in the class didn’t like what I had to say. They assumed that I would follow the “party line” and vote with them.
This morning I read that Canada’s federal government maternity-leave policy is discriminatory. How so? It’s actually a very generous policy. Unlike other women, federal employees have their mat leave topped up to 95% of their salary for a year. Nice, no? You might be wondering what could be discriminatory about that. Actually, the problem appeared when a term employee took maternity leave. Federal term employees have their jobs become permanent when they’ve worked for three continuous years in the same department. The employee in question took a one-year mat leave and wanted that time counted towards her three years.
Doesn’t the three years mean three years of continuous work? Apparently not. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (yeah. gotta love them.) decided that she was discriminated against and awarded her $43,000 plus a permanent position.
So, effectively, a woman could take a term position, have a baby, come back to work, have another baby, and then come back to a permanent position.
I wonder if they’ll let men do that with paternity leave?
I’m curious what you did when you had your child? Were you able to go back to your job?
Personally I got to go back to my job, but I was already in a permanent position. I didn’t get any pay while on maternity leave other than 4 months of unemployment insurance.
An employee who is not a permanent employee who is required to WORK for 3 years before getting permanent status should not be able to count mat leave. That is not fair for the person who had to actually work for the full 3 years to qualify for a permanent position.
I went back to my job but I only worked part time. When I had my second child, I didn’t have enough hours accumulated to qualify for mat leave.
I didn’t get any time off the last time I stole a kid out of a mall parking lot so I could get the tax write-off. I am either oppressed or should be in prison, but the little guy does say hello. Or I think that’s what he said I don’t speak Russian.
Sorry had to say it…
I didn’t even take maternity leave with my second child – she was adopted. My husband took 2 months paternity leave. I decided to go to half-time after that in order to spend more time with the kids.