Sick/Holiday pay with Maternity leave???

Hi there:

I am 21 yrs old and 32 weeks pregnant and will be stopping work in 3 weeks - 28th October for my first baby to be born at the end of November. I have been told I can get paid what holiday pay I have but not my accrued sick pay. Its a difference of 3 weeks pay (just holiday) or 6 weeks pay (both holiday and sick pay). I am really confused as I thought that technically when you are pregnant esp. with the way i feel you are ill/incapacitated to work towards the end of your pregnancy e.g tired, sore, high blood pressure ......

I would love to hear your opinions.

Thanx heaps smile

Sick pay is only paid if you are having sick days, you cannot be paid out sick pay. Just like when you finish up at a job - they will pay you out your holiday pay but not your sick pay.

Basically you have to use your sick pay while you are still working - so if you are feeling unwell in these last 3 weeks use it up smile. I think in most jobs you are allocated a certain number of sick days or hours per year and if you don't use them you loose them.

Good luck with your first bub.

As soon as found out I was pregnant I went look for everything I was entitled to and found out that if I took my holiday pay it comes off your maternity leave ie 4 weeks holidays, 48 weeks maternity leave. Also any sick pay I had owning I use it up before I start as if I didn't return to work after my maternity ( I'll only go back if we need the money) wouldn't get paid out to me. So I just took days off here and there (I had a great pregnancy and didn't get sick with anything until hubby gave me a cold a week before I went into labour). Stuff 'em you've worked for those sick days and your pregnant so who's going to argue with you that you don't feel like crap and don't want to go to work?! If you could get a doctors certificate to say that you have to finish work at a certain time frame you may be able to get paid your sick days that way? The only state in Australia ( as far as I can remember) that can make you finish work early because you're pregnant is WA. Maybe another way(if you don't want to go back to work after your maternity leave is up) to get your sick days is when you do go back to work use them up then? Mum's get stressed/sick and so do bubs! Then quit!
I personally think it's wrong that mothers don't paid out their sick days when they go on maternity leave (incase you could tell from my post) as you worked for them and it's not like you're really having a HOLIDAY!!!! smile