The HSE issues circular on Pregnancy Related Sick Leave. Outlined below is a summary of its contents and a link to the full text.
Pregnancy related sick leave (HSE HR Circular 25/2008 )
The HSE has changed its policy with regard to female employees who are medically certified as unfit to work due to a pregnancy related illness by circular of the 11th November ’08. Moving forward, salary will not drop below half pay prior to going on maternity leave. (A HSE employee who is pregnant and suffering a pregnancy related illness could at present find themselves cut off pay altogether depending on exhausting their sick leave entitlement over the previous one year or over a four year period)
The circular also changes the criteria for sick leave entitlement post pregnancy when following maternity leave, where an employee is unfit for work due to ill health her entitlement to sick pay at half pay will be extended by the period of absence due to pregnancy related illness which occurred prior to her maternity leave provided she has not benefitted from pregnancy related sick leave during pregnancy.
The changes introduced by this circular relate only to pregnancy related sick leave and the circular stresses that not all illness during pregnancy is necessarily pregnancy related.
Click on this link to see circular in full:
http://www.hsea.ie//Circulars/HSE%20HR%20Circular%2025-2008%20-%20%20Pregnancy%20related%20Sick%20Leave.pdf