Maternity leave and sick pay
[ch 9: page 340]A woman who is absent with a pregnancy-related illness has the same sick pay entitlement as any male or non-pregnant female employee (North Western Health Board v McKenna [2005] IRLR 895). She is not entitled to better pay because her illness is pregnancy-related.
There is no right to be paid statutory or contractual sick pay during maternity leave.
See also:
• Chapter 7, page 236: pregnancy, and maternity discrimination;
• Chapter 8, pages 305 and 317: sick pay and sickness absence, pregnancy and maternity;
• Chapter 10, page 387: automatically unfair dismissal for reasons relating to pregnancy, maternity and childbirth; and
• Chapter 11, pages 439 and 448: redundancy selection and rights to suitable available employment.