Felt pressured to resign

September 2014

Fatima* worked as a cook at a club. She claimed her manager said she had to decide between keeping her baby or keeping her job. Fatima felt she had no option but to resign. 

Fatima lodged a complaint with ADNSW.

At a conciliation conference, Fatima’s employer said she had misconstrued the manager’s words as the manager was expressing concern about how she was going to cope as a single mother. 

The employer denied that Fatima was in any way pressured to resign or to consider terminating her pregnancy.

The complaint was settled when the employer agreed to amend their staff manual to include information about rights relating to pregnancy and maternity leave. Fatima was also paid $3,500.

*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of the individual.