Health and safety leave during pregnancy

heldel00 · 28-07-2020 12:48pm #1

I would like to hear from other teachers, pregnant or not, who have experience with this leave or are planning on applying for it.
I am due in November. Pregnancy is high risk. I had held off on inquiring about this leave until the govt released the "roadmap" for school reopening. After what i read yesterday i am terrified about returning to classroom (33 4th and 5th class in a classroom that i could barely fit 26 children in last year).

I have emailed my union but they are on annual leave.

Any advice appreciated.

(Just to add: i will not be in a position to take unpaid leave at end of maternity leave, so starting mat leave early is not really an option)

Cash_Q · 28-07-2020 3:18pm

heldel00 wrote:

(Just to add: i will not be in a position to take unpaid leave at end of maternity leave, so starting mat leave early is not really an option)

And even if you were in a position to take unpaid leave you shouldn't have to use up your maternity leave early for health and safety purposes.

Ask your GP if they can sign you off sick maybe? Apparently pregnancy related sick leave is not counted as part of your general sick leave allocation.

I do think that there should be some kind of health and safety leave available but I dont know if there is, and if theres not then use sick leave, it's not worth the risk, there is no way to know what effect COVID would have in pregnancy, even though they're saying it's no big deal. Your immunity is lower anyway so I just wouldnt take a chance if I were you.

Millem · 28-07-2020 3:23pm

heldel00 wrote: »

I would like to hear from other teachers, pregnant or not, who have experience with this leave or are planning on applying for it.
I am due in November. Pregnancy is high risk. I had held off on inquiring about this leave until the govt released the "roadmap" for school reopening. After what i read yesterday i am terrified about returning to classroom (33 4th and 5th class in a classroom that i could barely fit 26 children in last year).

I have emailed my union but they are on annual leave.

Any advice appreciated.

(Just to add: i will not be in a position to take unpaid leave at end of maternity leave, so starting mat leave early is not really an option)

I am heavily pregnant and was pregnant before lock down. At the time the only option was sick leave. It was because the hse didn’t put pregnancy into the very high risk group. I think you need to be pregnant with a heart condition?
Unfortunately I don’t think it has changed

https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus-and-pregnancy.html

heldel00 · 28-07-2020 4:20pm

This is taken directly from INTO website:

Health and safety leave

Health and safety leave may be granted if the conditions in a workplace present a risk to a pregnant teacher or her developing baby. This may include contagious illnesses to which the employee is not immune.

Although the advice of the woman’s own doctors should be followed, the decision to approve health and safety leave will rest with the occupational health service, Medmark.

When an employer identifies a risk to a pregnant employee’s health in the workplace, they have a responsibility to take the followings steps:

Step 1: Adjust the working conditions and/or hours of work.
If this does not remove the risk

Step 2: Provide suitable alternative work;
If that is not possible

Step 3: The employer should assist the employee in receiving health and safety leave, under Section 18 of the Maternity Protection Act 1994.

^^^ It seems pretty black and white on reading that. Final decision lies with MedMark.

thefasteriwalk · 28-07-2020 4:21pm

I am due in December and very unsure about returning (post-primary). I have my anatomy scan in two weeks and I'll discuss it with my consultant and see what he says.

shesty · 28-07-2020 4:22pm

It would be a brave doctor that would certify anyone as being safe to return to work in the current times tbh.

heldel00 · 28-07-2020 4:34pm

thefasteriwalk wrote: »

I am due in December and very unsure about returning (post-primary). I have my anatomy scan in two weeks and I'll discuss it with my consultant and see what he says.

My consultant told me to ask them to put a box around my desk and i could stay in there. Clob.

thefasteriwalk · 28-07-2020 4:39pm

heldel00 wrote: »

My consultant told me to ask them to put a box around my desk and i could stay in there. Clob.

WTF???

heldel00 · 28-07-2020 5:14pm

thefasteriwalk wrote: »

WTF???

Nothing surprises me in this Covid era. Common sense has gone out the window.

Millem · 28-07-2020 5:15pm

heldel00 wrote: »

My consultant told me to ask them to put a box around my desk and i could stay in there. Clob.

I think this is the stumbling block.... taken
From the hse website.

“The information we have so far shows that pregnant women are not at-risk. This means that if you are healthy, you do not have a higher risk of serious illness if you catch coronavirus while pregnant.“

Pregnancy sick leave will be counted as normal in your 182 days of sick leave (or whatever it is!). If you have exhausted your full and half pay they will keep you on half pay if you are pregnant.

heldel00 · 28-07-2020 5:20pm

^^^ and are all other "normal" sick days paid at half pay rate in the future?

Millem · 28-07-2020 5:25pm

heldel00 wrote: »

^^^ and are all other "normal" sick days paid at half pay rate in the future?

I think it’s No pay (except for social welfare) if you have exhausted 182 in a 4 year rolling period.

annoyedgal · 28-07-2020 5:26pm

I'm due in n October and starting leave end of september. Due back to a classroom of juniors so no social distancing. I feel very let down for all school staff by the lack of safety provisions announced yesterday.
I'm really torn about going back for the few weeks so will probably discuss at the next doc appointment. In the uk women over 28 weeks are not advised to work with the public.
The HSE not including pregnant women as vulnerable is the problem here. I would definitely apply for health and safety leave if it would cover me. I think I've left it too late to apply for parental leave so that leaves sick leave but depending on the doc they might not sign me off. Actually losing sleep over the whole thing and the thoughts of being in a poorly ventilated room with a crowd and no masks. Really stressful.

annoyedgal · 28-07-2020 5:32pm

I had a reply from the INTO. Advice was to talk to my principal about my concerns and not to be overly worried as we are expected to stay 2m away from the students!
Failing that sick leave if doc recommended it or to hope the board would make an exception for a late application of parental leave which i have from my other kids. Inspiring stuff from our union....

Millem · 28-07-2020 6:22pm

annoyedgal wrote: »

I had a reply from the INTO. Advice was to talk to my principal about my concerns and not to be overly worried as we are expected to stay 2m away from the students!
Failing that sick leave if doc recommended it or to hope the board would make an exception for a late application of parental leave which i have from my other kids. Inspiring stuff from our union....

It doesn’t surprise me annoyed gal!!
I wouldn’t want to take any chances myself.
At least please God we will get the 5 weeks of Parent’s leave @€;245. That might help you the other side of your maternity leave?

I had my first child in 2014 when they changed the sick leave rules and took out income protection from Cornmarket. Thankfully I have never had to use it but tbh I wouldn’t be without it. It is expensive but imho it’s well worth it.

heldel00 · 28-07-2020 6:57pm

I'll just have to talk to union when they back. This pregnancy is considered "high risk" so surely that will hold some clout.

I'm actually annoyed with myself because we are not staycationing (hate that stupid word) at all this year. I have avoided days out with the children. Strictly restricted their playdates etc or my own meeting of friends and family and I'm thinking what's the point if I'm just gonna be landed back into a classroom in 4 weeks.

Millem · 28-07-2020 7:02pm

heldel00 wrote: »

I'll just have to talk to union when they back. This pregnancy is considered "high risk" so surely that will hold some clout.

I'm actually annoyed with myself because we are not staycationing (hate that stupid word) at all this year. I have avoided days out with the children. Strictly restricted their playdates etc or my own meeting of friends and family and I'm thinking what's the point if I'm just gonna be landed back into a classroom in 4 weeks.

Just to prepare yourself......
From memory in relation to covid the only very high risk is if have a serious heart condition and you're pregnant.

Otherwise it’s certified sick leave.

There are a few posts on voice for teachers on it.
When is your maternity leave meant to start?

heldel00 · 28-07-2020 7:23pm

Due to start 7th Nov

Millem · 28-07-2020 7:29pm

heldel00 wrote: »

Due to start 7th Nov

Ok so a good 9 weeks of work or 10 weeks of sick leave

That is a lot of sick leave plus you will be sent to Medmark at least once which is a pain and a nuisance.

That is crap you don’t want to start your maternity leave 10 weeks early either

I wonder is there an option on working from home? Like you know the kids who will not be returning? I have a student with CF who did not attend school once covid hit before lock down.

annoyedgal · 06-08-2020 2:51pm

I discussed it with doc at last hospital appointment. I'm in the public clinic so it's a different doc each time.
She said they had no guidance on signing off because if covid and that the outcomes were no worse for pregnant women.
She also said link in with GP and discuss so waiting on a call from her next week. If she is not happy to sign me off I'll apply for unpaid leave for the month.
Stressed to the hilt about it all summer and I just want it sorted now. Don't think the health and safety leave will be worth persuring if we are not considerwd high risk. Has anyone applied for it?

r93kaey5p2izun · 06-08-2020 3:24pm

I really feel for pregnant women at the moment, with the lack of clear information here. I see Switzerland has added pregnancy to the high rsk list.

https://www.thelocal.ch/20200806/switzerland-adds-pregnant-women-to-coronavirus-risk-list

And CDC in America now states pregnant women are more at risk of being hospitalised and ventilated and are reviewing guidelines.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/special-populations/pregnancy-data-on-covid-19.html

Millem · 07-08-2020 5:00pm

https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0049_2020.pdf

Point 15 refers to pregnant employees.
15.1 Under the current HSE guidelines, a pregnant employee is not deemed to be at very high risk of serious illness from contracting COVID-19, unless suffering from a serious heart condition in which case, paragraph 10 will apply.

Health and safety leave during pregnancy

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