During pregnancy, specific rights apply to you at the workplace.
Dismissal
The employer cannot dismiss a pregnant woman. If, however, you have an employment contract for a definite period (e.g. one year), the employer is not obliged to extend the employment relationship. The relationship ends as the employment contract expires. In this case, you are covered by the protection period of 180 days, i.e. if you start your maternity leave within 180 days since the termination of the employment relationship, you get a compensation of your salary (in the form of sickness benefit or maternity benefit).
Important! If you just started a new job and are in the probationary period, you are not protected by the protection period and the employer is not obliged to inform you about the reason for terminating your employment relationship.
Important! If you just started a new job and are in the probationary period, you are not protected by the protection period and the employer is not obliged to inform you about the reason for terminating your employment relationship.
Announcing the pregnancy to the employer
There is no legal obligation to inform your employer that you are pregnant. There is, however, an obligation to inform them that you are going on maternity leave, i.e. 6 to 8 weeks before the due date. It is recommended to inform the employer 3 months before starting maternity leave so that they can reassign you to a less demanding position.
The strenuousness of your work
If you inform your employer that you are pregnant, you have to be reassigned to a less strenuous position and to work that will present no danger for you or your child (e.g. if you work with chemicals, you can be reassigned to another position for the duration of your pregnancy, you cannot do continuous work etc.).
Going back to work
If you have an employment contract of indefinite duration, the employer has to assign you to the same position if you return to work after maternity leave. After parental leave, the situation is different – they only have to assign you to a position corresponding to your employment contract (they are not obliged to assign you to the same position and workplace like after maternity leave).
If you have an employment contract of fixed duration and it expires during your maternity or parental leave, the employer has to sign a new contract with you.
If you have an employment contract of fixed duration and it expires during your maternity or parental leave, the employer has to sign a new contract with you.
