How you’re told you’ve been dismissed while on maternity leave can itself be discrimination.
“Tribunal ruled for the claimant on wrongful dismissalA breach of contract claim, usually about not being given the correct notice or notice pay, decided under ordinary contract law rather than employment rights legislation. It is different from unfair d..., unfair dismissalA legal claim you can bring if your employer dismissed you without a fair reason or without following a fair process. You normally need two years of continuous employment to qualify, though some dismi..., and pregnancy/maternity discrimination.”
If you're dismissed while on maternity leave and told in an impersonal way, such as by text, email, or a P45The form your employer must give you when your employment ends, showing your tax code and your pay and tax to date for the year. In some tribunal cases, how and when a P45 is sent, such as by email wi... with no conversation, that can be unlawful discrimination on top of an unfair dismissal.
- Keep every message, email, and document showing exactly how and when you were told you were dismissed.
- Don't accept your employer's stated reason at face value. A tribunal looks at what actually happened, not just what's written down afterwards.
- Get advice quickly. These claims sit alongside unfair dismissal, but carry their own three-month time limitThe deadline by which you must submit a claim to an employment tribunal. For most claims the limit is three months less one day from the act you are complaining about, and it is strictly enforced. Mis....
The situation
The claimant worked for a small estate agency for three years before she was dismissed while on maternity leave. Nobody consulted her or warned her beforehand. She found out only when her employer emailed her a P45. Her employer's written response claimed the dismissal was for financial reasons, unconnected to her pregnancy or maternity leave, but it didn't attend the hearing to back that up.
What the tribunal found
The tribunal found for the claimant on all three complaints. It upheld wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, and unfavourable treatment because of pregnancy and maternity leave under section 18 of the Equality Act 2010. It awarded her notice pay, a basic and compensatory award for unfair dismissal, and compensation for injury to feelings, totalling £14,537.53.
The tribunal accepted her account that her dismissal came "out of the blue." Being told this way, by people she'd regarded as colleagues and friends, while she was on leave with two young children, caused real and lasting distress. It placed the injury to feelingsA head of compensation in discrimination claims that recognises the distress and hurt caused by discriminatory treatment, separate from any financial loss. The amount is assessed using the Vento guide... award in the lower band, but towards the top of it.
If you've been dismissed while on maternity leave and nobody properly consulted or warned you, you may have more than one claim available, not just unfair dismissal. How you were told matters too. Being notified by text, email, or a P45 with no conversation at all is not a minor detail. It can be evidence of unfavourable treatment connected to your pregnancy or leave in its own right.
Keep everything that shows how and when you were told. Messages, emails, the P45 itself, and the dates on each all matter. If your employer says the reason was financial and unrelated to your pregnancy or leave, a tribunal still looks at what actually happened, not just what's written down, and at whether the manner and timing of your dismissal fit that explanation.
Claims like this often combine an unfair dismissal complaint with a pregnancy and maternity discrimination complaint. The time limits for both are short. Normally three monthsThe standard time limit for bringing most employment tribunal claims, running from the date of the act complained of. Because the limit is three months less one day, you should not wait until what fee... less a day from your dismissal, extended by any period of early conciliationA free process run by ACAS that you must go through before you can submit a claim to an employment tribunal. ACAS contacts your employer to see if a settlement can be reached, and the process pauses y.... Get advice now if your dismissal might be connected to your pregnancy or maternity leave. That three-month clock doesn't wait.
Satchell v APX Estate Agents Ltd. Case 6009619/2024. London South Employment Tribunal. 1 July 2026.