Maternity Leave

Who is it for?

All civilian staff except:

• Ministry of Defence Police, who should refer to MDP Maternity Adoption Paternity and Parental Leave;

• Former MOD employees, pensioners and dependants;

• Prospective employees;

• Fee earners and contractors;

• People on secondment or loan to MOD from OGD's industry and academia or on work experience placements (but depends on the terms of secondments/Loan Agreements);

• Locally engaged civilians;

• Trading Fund;

• Queen Victoria School (QVS) Peripatetic teachers;

• Sovereign Base Area Administration (SBAA) Cyprus District Judge and Customs & Exercise;

• Traffic Representatives (Ground Hostesses).

   

What do I get?

As an MOD employee you are entitled to take 12 months' Maternity Leave, consisting of 26 weeks' Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) followed by 26 weeks' Additional Maternity Leave (AML). You must take 2 weeks' compulsory maternity leave (or 4 weeks if you work in industrial premises). This compulsory period is included within the maximum 26 weeks of OML. During OML and AML your contract will continue and you will continue to receive all contractual and non-cash benefits (exlcuding salary).

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is payable for up to 39 weeks, with the first 6 weeks enhanced to full pay. MOD employees who qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and meet certain other conditions will receive full pay for the first 26 weeks of OML. This means that the maximum Maternity pay you will receive is:

• 26 weeks' OML at full pay

• 13 weeks' AML at SMP

• 13 weeks' AML unpaid

If you do not qualify for SMP, you may still be entitled to Maternity Allowance via your local Jobcentre Plus office.

All pregnant employees are entitled to time off for antenatal care, which will be paid at their normal rate of pay.  

Partners have a statutory right to accompany an expectant mother to ante-natal appointments. Special Paid Leave can be granted for up to two appointments. 

Absences due to a pregnancy-related illness, at any time from conception to the start of maternity leave, will not be counted towards the contractual sick pay entitlement, or for disciplinary purposes, or restoring efficiency. 

During Maternity Leave, employees are entitled to work or train under the Keeping in Touch Days, if they and their Manager agree and apply for annual leave in the normal way, to be taken before or after Maternity Leave.  

When returning from Maternity Leave after OML and AML, individuals are entitled to return to the same job on the same terms and conditions as if they had not been absent unless a redundancy situation has arisen or if the post has been subject to Transfer of Undertaking. 

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