Employer tried to change t&c's while on maternity

gingergemima

So I'm with my employer 8 years and currently on maternity leave. My employer sent me a new contract at the start of my maternity leave where they wanted me to accept a new job title for a job I'd been doing for 3 years. They tried to entice me with a paltry payrise of 4euro a week (yes 4 Euro). I told them I won't sign it as I see the new job title as less favourable than the old one. I also told them they can't make any changes while I'm on leave.

I'm due back to work shortly and I'm sure this contract issue will resurrect.

Has anyone out there had this happen?

Thanks.

davo10

They can make an offer to change your job, they just can't discriminate against you because you are pregnant. If they offer you a new job title with improved pay (even if it is paltry) and conditions, this could hardly be considered discrimination. You are entitled to return to your job with at least the same T&c's that you had before you went on maternity leave, but that doesn't stop them offering you better ones.

You may not like the new job title for a job you have been doing for three years, but you should consider the practical effects of rejecting it. What wil be your chances of future promotion and pay rise if you reject this offer?

Mrs OBumble

gingergemima wrote: »

Has anyone out there had this happen?

Thanks.

Been asked change job titles, yup - I've always just agreed to that.

Eg "Widgets Statistical Analyst" became "Widgets Market Research Analyst".

Unless the title change was a demotion, eg "Widgets Manager" to "Widgets supervisor". That would be pushed back - unless it was a more honest description of what I was actually doing beforehand.

But if there's a change of job-description too, that's another matter. Then you need to negotiate, and how that should go depends on if it's more work / responsibility or less, and how it fits with your career plans.

Seems to me you need to think bigger picture. You're just back from maternity. It may be easier to stick with something you know while dealing with life for now, and move to something better in a while. Will a job-title change make that harder or easier?

fwiw, the job title on my CV only roughly lines up with the title on my references. Lightly yes, so they can tell it's the same job. But not exactly. Lists of duties are more important IMHO.

gingergemima

Thanks for the reply. Tbh I don't want to be there however I want to play the game until I go out on maternity again.

At the same time I refuse to be pigeon holed with people who have 2 years experience and no formal qualifications in the field whereas I have a Master's in the relevant field and 20 years experience.

I have already tried to negotiate and was told a flat NO...No wiggle room, no difference will be made between me and the others regardless of qualifications or experience. I know I am too good for that place. I'm just using them now for future maternity and happy to do so 😀

davo10

gingergemima wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. Tbh I don't want to be there however I want to play the game until I go out on maternity again.

At the same time I refuse to be pigeon holed with people who have 2 years experience and no formal qualifications in the field whereas I have a Master's in the relevant field and 20 years experience.

I have already tried to negotiate and was told a flat NO...No wiggle room, no difference will be made between me and the others regardless of qualifications or experience. I know I am too good for that place. I'm just using them now for future maternity and happy to do so 😀

You don't have an automatic entitlement to promotion, maybe they sense the vibe you are giving off in your posts and are not going to promote you, leave you at the level you are at indefinitely.

Irish_Elect_Eng

gingergemima wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. Tbh I don't want to be there however I want to play the game until I go out on maternity again.

At the same time I refuse to be pigeon holed with people who have 2 years experience and no formal qualifications in the field whereas I have a Master's in the relevant field and 20 years experience.

I have already tried to negotiate and was told a flat NO...No wiggle room, no difference will be made between me and the others regardless of qualifications or experience. I know I am too good for that place. I'm just using them now for future maternity and happy to do so 😀

Are you doing a significantly different job to your lesser qualified colleagues?understand standardizing the titles, if you are then the differentiation should be reflected in the title.

Fries-With-That

gingergemima wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. Tbh I don't want to be there however I want to play the game until I go out on maternity again.

At the same time I refuse to be pigeon holed with people who have 2 years experience and no formal qualifications in the field whereas I have a Master's in the relevant field and 20 years experience.

I have already tried to negotiate and was told a flat NO...No wiggle room, no difference will be made between me and the others regardless of qualifications or experience. I know I am too good for that place. I'm just using them now for future maternity and happy to do so 😀

I don't understand this post, you want to play the game, what does that mean.

You refuse to be pigeon holed with people that do not measure up to your high standard of education and many years of experience, if those people are doing the same job and receiving the same salary as you and they have all accepted this change to the job title why do you think you should receive special treatment.

If you were in a position of responsibility over these workers and now are being asked to work with them at the same level, that would be an issue you could try negotiate on, but from your posts I do not think that is the case, you are just unhappy with your new title because you deem your contribution to be more important than the other employees because of your experience.

If we were all to use that as the yardstick on which we worked a person like you with 20 years experience should have one title but some one with 5 years experience should have another regardless of the fact that both are doing the same job with the same level of competence for the same salary.

In my experience, experience or education do not entitle you to a title that differs from your colleagues if you are all working at the same level within a company.

The fact that you state you do not want to be there, and that you are using the company until your next maternity leave is somewhat shocking, and I have to wonder if this attitude has contributed to your employers, flat no and refusal to wiggle.

If you won't wiggle for them why do you think they should wiggle for you.

Mrs OBumble

You have a masters and 20 years experience, and have been out on maternity leave once - and are certain you will get pregnant again.

A masters takes at least a year full time, usually after a 4-year full time primary degree - and you cannot start that until you are 18.

Now maybe you started getting your experience when you were 15 (but why would you still be in a job you could do at 15 with no quals).

Or maybe all your study was done part time around your full time job. (But why should the masters make a difference if you could do the job without it.)

Either you have less expereince than you think you do, or the numbers don't add up.

Diziet

Lots of women have children in their 40s, accusing the OP of lying is a bit much. 
OP, if this is a targeted re-naming of the role just for you, and you feel it is discriminatory, then do take some employment legal advice so you know where you stand.