Your rights as an agency worker
Maternity rights
You may be able to get Statutory Maternity Pay, but you cannot get Statutory Maternity Leave.
As an agency worker, you have employee’s pregnancy rights after working in your role for 12 weeks.
It’s illegal to discriminate against you on the grounds that:
- you’re pregnant
- you’ve given birth in the last 6 months
- you’re breastfeeding
It’s discrimination if your:
- agency refuses to place you in a job
- hirer refuses to hire you
- job was terminated because you’re pregnant
- agency refuses to keep you on its books
- agency offers you only short jobs and gives longer ones to other agency workers
- hirer will not let you come back after having leave due to maternity
Contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) for advice if you believe you’ve been discriminated against.
If there’s a risk to your health
Your hirer should make reasonable adjustments so you can do your job. If this isn’t possible your agency must find you alternative work or pay you at the same rate for the expected length of your contract.
Antenatal care
After 12 weeks in the job you can get paid time off to go to ‘antenatal care’ if you cannot arrange it outside working hours.
Antenatal care includes antenatal classes, appointments and parenting classes if they’ve been recommended by a doctor or midwife.
You must also be paid for the travel time if it’s during working hours.