Don’t sack someone because they are pregnant
. It should be obvious, but some employers still seem to ignore such basic rules, to their significant financial peril. Eventually.
Pregnant workers in New Zealand are protected by three main pieces of legislation – the Employment Relations Act, the Human Rights Act and the Parental Leave and Employment Act. All three acts provide protections for pregnant workers – the first two in the form of anti-discrimination rules, the latter by setting rules around taking parental leave and protecting the employee’s right to return to work.
A worker who claims to have been unlawfully discriminated against can choose to bring a claim either under the Human Rights Act or the Employment Relations Act, but not both.
Typically, workers will bring their claims under the Employment Relations Act, because it means other non-discrimination claims can be dealt with at the same time. It is also typically a quicker process, although the wait can still be much longer than is ideal. Read more