Labour Court upholds Red Ribbon Project worker’s paid maternity leave benefit

The Labour Court upheld a recommendation that a Red Ribbon Project worker retain her paid maternity leave benefit, rejecting the employer’s appeal. The decision was dated 14 April 2014 and recommended that she keep the benefit on a personal-to-holder basis under her contract. The employer said funding cuts led it to discontinue paid maternity leave and that it could not afford the payment while employing a replacement. The union argued that the worker’s contractual right to full maternity leave should be restored. The Court noted that her 1997 terms included the benefit, although it had been discontinued for employees from December 2011.