Ok, dd, this occurred to me after I posted. Maternity leave may be up for negotiation under the new IR laws, we'll see what happens.
HOWEVER (and I'm not shouting at you, I'm shouting to vent at the confusion the stupid IR laws will cause and the employers who will exploit that!), unless Howard has done something sneaky, our anti-discrimination laws have not changed. Unfair dismissal in a small business will not exist UNLESS (and this has been stated by the govt, I don't know how much they wanted to advertise it) there is a discrimination case. You cannot sign away your right to a discrimination-free workplace, I don't care what contract you sign.
Check the date of your contract. By the time you want to take ML, you may still be covered under your existing contract and that still stands until the end of its life.
The other thing is that it will still be against the law to discrimintate against someone on the basis of union membership...so if you want union help to help you sort out your next contract, as a current employee, you will be able to.
The IR changes are sinister in intent - just get a feel for how insecure people now feel!! Howard's govt urges all women to procreate, then shakes up their source of income that they will use to save up for it! Grrr. THEN, we'll be forced to find a job after 5 years in a job market that won't want us because there'll be plenty of women with no committments who will work for less and for more hours with no family to go home to. Good one, Barnaby!
There, I've vented.
Anyway, dd, remember, anti-discrimination laws have not been changed.[/list]