In a win for women everywhere, a woman was awarded a large sum when she was wrongfully fired for returning from maternity leave, only to find out she was pregnant again. As such, she appealed to a higher power and a judge awarded her a “huge payout.”
Nikita Twitchen, a woman from the UK, went on maternity leave in June 2022. However, she lost her job when she returned following her announcement. Purportedly, she returned on March 26th, but something odd happened before then.
Mom on Maternity Leave Gets Shocking News
Despite just coming back from maternity leave, the mom found out she was pregnant again. She shared the news with her boss, Jeremy Morgan, during their return-to-work meeting on February 17, 2023. However, his reaction wasn’t ideal, although she notes that she had a “very good” working relationship with him.
The meeting started “positively,” according to Twitchen. She shared that her boss agreed to the hours she had in mind. Additionally, he told her he was “looking forward to her coming back to work.” Twitchen started at First Grade Projects in October 2021. She was scheduled to return to her office administration assistant position on March 26th.
Read More: Amazon Denied a Worker Pregnancy Accommodations. Then She Miscarried.
A Change in Attitude
Morgan claims that he congratulated her on the news and disclosed that the reason she was let go pertained to job availability. Morgan purported that the position was no longer necessary, thanks to a new technology. Furthermore, Morgan informed Twitchen on April 18th, to tell her that her role had been “made redundant.”
Maternity Leave Leads to New and Dangerous Job
As a result, she found work “in very hot conditions” according to the judge, who commended her for working until she was 39 weeks pregnant. The judge also noted that Twitchen needed a job to support her family and ensure financial stability. Furthermore, Morgan was unable to provide evidence of his claims that the business was undergoing “financial hardships” or that new software made Twitchen’s position obsolete.
Additionally, the company got new vehicles, employees, and a rebranding since she was let go, a major detail that inspired the judge’s decision. The judge awarded the woman around $50,000 because her treatment after maternity leave caused “real anxiety and distress over a period of time, having been dismissed when pregnant and losing her sense of financial security with all the family responsibilities that she had,” the judge added.
No Comment
First Grade Projects hasn’t commented on the events in depth but did say: “We are extremely disappointed with the outcome of the tribunal. We are actively reviewing all relevant information and considering all available options.”
Maternity Laws in the U.S.
While most would speculate that Morgan’s “change in attitude” likely came from the news he was given, others might see how a full rebranding would lead to a potential downsizing. Either way, maternity leave falls under maternity laws, and the U.S. falls behind other countries like Bulgaria, the UK, and Finland, which offer their citizens paid vacation and maternity leave. Sadly, the U.S. offers employees 12 weeks of vacation time, but it’s unpaid and can, in many cases, include sick time and vacation time. Additionally, employees are only eligible for this unpaid time off if they have been with the employer for a certain minimum of hours.
Read More: Woman Calls For Separate Waiting Rooms for Those Experiencing Pregnancy Loss
