NSW Health Maternity Leave Question
Hey guys, I had some questions because I'm struggling to understand the wording in the awards/leave policies and what is commonly repeated in my hospital.
After their first twelve months of maternity leave finished, has anyone applied for that 12 month extension of additional unpaid maternity leave? It seems that the employer can deny this request so I'm wondering how often it is actually successful.
If you do get the extension, and end up getting pregnant during the unpaid extension, are you eligible for another round of full time maternity leave even if you haven't come back to work since your first baby? I would prefer to do this rather than rushing to get pregnant shortly after the first baby.
Once you return to work after maternity leave, at reduced hours, are you eligible for full-time maternity leave pay within that first year even if you haven't gone back to full time hours at all? Everyone in my public hospital says you have to work full time hours in your last fortnight before taking your second lot of maternity leave to be eligible for full-time maternity leave pay (and it's what everyone does) but I can't see anywhere that this is actually in writing? It also seems ridiculous to force a woman at the end of her pregnancy to do full-time work when she's only been doing two shifts a week for the entire year prior.
Thanks!