Woman made redundant after miscarriage

A woman made redundant a few months after having a miscarriage has received £10,000 compensation in an out of court settlement, it was learned today.

Diane Stredder, 37, from Frodsham in Cheshire, claimed her manager's attitude changed after she became pregnant.

She complained that the company, O'Hare Engineering, did not carry out a risk assessment of her job as a tax adviser and financial controller and she was forced to carry heavy boxes.

She was off ill after having a miscarriage and was made redundant after being told that her sickness record was unsatisfactory.

Ms Stredder said: 'I made great efforts to get back to work, returning the day after I was discharged from hospital.

'Despite this I was warned about my sickness record, which included the time I had to take off when I suffered the miscarriage, and I was later made redundant.

'A miscarriage is a traumatic experience and I hope that this settlement will mean other women who suffer a miscarriage don't also have to go through what I did at work.'

Julie Mellor, chairwoman of the Equal Opportunities Commission, which backed the case, said it highlighted the need for employers to make sure they do not discriminate against workers who have time off for reasons related to pregnancy, including miscarriage.

'Employees should be able to expect a supportive and sensitive response from their employer when they are going through personally difficult events,' she said.

The company, based in Northwich, Cheshire, pointed out it made no admission of liability in the settlement.

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now