A nursery worker from Hoddlesden, Lancashire, has won a pregnancy discrimination and unfair dismissal case that saw her receive unfair treatment by her bosses, who questioned whether keeping her baby was a “good idea”.
Darci Topping, 23, informed her bosses that she was pregnant one week after starting her job at Stepping Stones Nursery in Hoddlesden. Far from being supportive, her employers questioned the pregnancy and even asked her if she intended to keep the baby and whether that would be a good idea to do so.
The nursery “had a problem with pregnant employees”, a tribunal in Manchester was told.
Ms Topping later gave birth to a son, called Stanley, but had been forced out of her job by then after having her hours reduced, followed by redundancy.
The law says that employees must not be discriminated against because pregnancy, regardless of how long they have been in their job. Discrimination includes unfair dismissal, change of terms, including pay, and forcing mothers to work during maternity leave.
In Miss Topping’s case, it was ruled that: “Only she was dismissed. She was the only employee who was pregnant, and in the context of her treatment by the nursery since she told them, at the beginning of March 2020, that she was pregnant.”
Miss Topping is “glad to have won”. “It was very tough for me being made redundant at such a vulnerable point in my life while expecting my first baby, which I wanted to be excited about”, she said.
“I do feel that I have got justice and I am relieved that the case is finally over.”
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “It is worrying that a nursery did not prioritise the well-being of a mother and her child, and even appeared to suggest that abortion might be the best answer to the ‘problem’ of Darci’s pregnancy.
“Such an anti-child, anti-mother ethic is unfortunately common today and goes hand in hand with abortion, telling mothers that there is no place for them in the workplace.
“How is this empowerment?”
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